"The work of Elizabeth Loftus is controversial, not so much for the methods she has used but for the anger and hurt her work has caused. Loftus, an eminent professor of psychology, has conducted a number of experiments that examine the imperfect recall of memory and, in particular, how it is possible to implant false memories into subjects. This has caused furor among those who believe that they have recovered deeply repressed memories of abuse.
Participants in the study believed that they were taking part in an experiment about childhood memories. They and their relatives were asked to provide stories. A booklet was presented to the subject recounting three true memories and a false one supposedly provided by the relative. The subjects were then asked to contribute their memory of the incident and to say if they didn’t remember it.
Further interviews over the following weeks discussed the fictional incident, until finally subjects were asked to say how well they remembered being lost in the mall.
In many cases, it was noticed that the false memories were actually clearer and more “real” than the genuine ones. Loftus’s work appeared to prove that it is possible to recover memories of things that never happened, though, of course, this doesn’t prove that it isn’t also possible to repress and then uncover memories of things that did happen, which just goes to show that the brain is a tricky thing."
(Listverse)
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Creepy Facts And Odd Stories
RandomJust a short collection of things you may not have heard of. (Stories, facts, and urban legends) All credit goes to Listverse and Google.
