False Memories - Research Paper Example

ARTICLE CREATING FALSE MEMORIES BY ELIZABETH F. LOTUS Introduction Memories are easily modified as the time passes and it allows the true and original memories to fade. In order to evaluate the authenticity of this statement, the experimenter tried different experiments on participants to check how much they remembered about their true events. If any fake event would be presented in front of them, what would be their reaction? According to the experimenter, “these studies show that when people who witness true event and are later exposed to new and misleading information about it; their recollections often become distorted” (Loftus, 1997). Method The participants were presented a booklet in which there were three stories written. The two of the stories were the original ones that were confirmed by their relatives but one of the three stories was of false memories. In the first interview, the participants said that they do not remember anything about that event. But in the second interview, the participants told that they remembered the whole event and a whole story was given by the participants to the experimenter. In this research, the experimenter used the term “imagination inflation”, which is defined as the imagining an event that has never occurred. But, it can increase the confidence of the participant. The concept of impossible memories and how the false memories are formed is discussed in this research paper. Conclusion Loftus & Elizabeth (1997) drew the conclusion that the memories are formed by social demands. The imagination inflation can help the people to restore their old memories and people are forbidden to confirm that the memory construction is right or wrong as they will forget their old memories, if they do so. ARTICLE 2: FALSE MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES Introduction Can misleading information make false memories of childhood experiences in the minds of adult? The people who have been recovered from the childhood abuse and childhood trauma through the procedure of false memories and according to the psychiatrist the recovered memories during the therapy are accurate. So to confirm this statement, Hyman, Husband and Billings (1995) conducted two experiments to investigate the false memories conducted through misleading information. Method In the first experiment, some college students were selected who were given misleading information and through it the college students created false memories. The parents were sent a questionnaire in which the questions related to their children were asked. Some parents independently answered the questionnaire and rest was contacted to obtain the information. Then the students were asked to recall the events which were given by the parents and one false experiment. In the second experiment, the adults who discussed the related background knowledge during the interviews are more likely to develop a false recall of the event. Conclusion In the first experiment, the process of false memories probably depends upon accessing some information that is relevant to the original memory. In the second experiment, the adults who discussed the relevant personal knowledge are more likely to create false memories. A form of schematic reconstruction can account for the creation for a false event. The creation of false memory can also be explained as a source of confusion. If the false event and true event are similar, then the adult will accept that false event without any problem. ARTICLE 3: THE ROLE OF MENTAL IMAGERY IN THE CREATION OF FALSE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Introduction According to Barlett (1932), remembering is a constructive process and the people do not retrieve memory as a whole entity. They create memory using the information remaining in the memory combined with other related knowledge. “The researchers found that a person given misleading post event information is more likely to incorporate the misleading information into their recollection of the original event than someone given consistent information (Hyman & Pentland, 1996). Method Two hundred twenty six (226) students were selected from Western Washington University. The parents were sent a questionnaire through email. 50% of the parents replied the questionnaire. Then the students were asked to remember the childhood experiences. 32 students were put in the guided imagery condition section 33 students were put in the control condition section. The questionnaire contained questions in which the parents were asked to describe the events that their children experienced up till age 6. Three interviews were conducted which were tape-recorded. Participants were asked to describe two to five true events included one false event created by the experiment. If the students had difficulty in remembering events, they can be given advice so that they can remember the whole true event. Conclusion According to this research, the children and adults will create false memories of complete, emotional and self-involving events (Hyman & Pentland, 1996). The process involved in memory creation is social context which supports that memory creation is important. It is confirmed that the memory creation is a constructive process which combines with the self-knowledge and content of suggestion (Hyman & Billings, 1995). Discussion The results of the above three mentioned articles show that the social demands and social contexts are most important in creating false memories. The most important thing which these articles discussed is creating the false memories for the children and adults who have gone through traumas and abuses. When the child does not remember what he wants, he makes the false memories which take place of it and in this way; they can live their life happily. For example, a child aged 2, got lost in the parking lot of the shopping mall. His parents tried to looked for him and found him in bad shape as he was abused. His parents knew this truth but the child was too small to remember that event. When the child grew up, one day he remembers the truth of being trapped by bad people. He asks his parents but his parents lied to him that they did not know anything. At this stage, he wanted to know what happened to him in his childhood. The child goes to a psychiatrist and requested him that he wanted to know about his past life experiences. When the psychiatrist conducted the research, the child created a false memory that he was lost and was helped by some good people who were standing in the shopping mall. This false memory created by the child is in favor of the child and he can now live his life easily. In this case, the imagination inflation influenced by social demands created the false memories in the mind of the child. The child also tried to discuss with his parents about the old memories and as a result, a false memory was created in his mind. The mental imagery, here, played its role as the child was emotionally involved in this event and he was abused. The child therefore, created a false memory. In applying these experiments in real life, there are problems related to understanding the event and its related victim. It might be possible that the event does not actually fall under any of these experiments due to any changes in the outcome or involving factors. References Loftus, E.F., (1997). Creating false memories. Scientific Journal. Vol. 277, pp. 70-75. Retrieved on March 16, 2013 from http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/Homepage/Class/Psy394U/Bower/07%20False%20Memories/Loftus-%20Creating%20False%20Mems.pdf Hyman, E. I., Husband, H.T., & Billings, J.F., (1995). False memories of childhood experiences. Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology. Vol. 9, pp. 181-197. Retrieved on March 16, 2013 from http://faculty.wwu.edu/hyman/HHB1995.pdf Hyman, E. I., & Pentland, J., (1996). The role of mental imagery in the creation of false childhood memories. Journal of Memory and Language. 35, pp. 101-117. Retrieved on March 16, 2013 from http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/~hyman/HymanPentland1996.pdf Read More