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Chapter 15 - Tricked by Memory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 April 2022

By
Elizabeth F. Loftus
Edited by
Jamila Bookwala  and
Nicky J. Newton
Jamila Bookwala
Affiliation:
Lafayette College, Pennsylvania
Nicky J. Newton
Affiliation:
Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario
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Summary

I study human memory and, more specifically, the malleable nature of memory. In hundreds of studies, I have shown that information that is suggested to a person about an event can be integrated with the memory of the event, whether that new information is true or false.  When false, it leads to distortions, elaborations, and even total fabrications. Here, I discuss the paths I crossed while conducting this 50-year body of science. And I discuss some repercussions. Sometimes people are irritated by these findings and try to discredit them (or me). Other times, people are appreciative of these findings and make changes in the way they conduct their professional lives. The important take home message: when someone tells you about a memory from their past, they may describe it in detail, and with confidence, and even with emotion. But that does not mean it is true. False memories can have these same characteristics.

Type
Chapter
Information
Reflections from Pioneering Women in Psychology , pp. 190 - 201
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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