Memory Exercise

Two Fridays ago, an odd event occurred in lecture which we asked you to describe in detail. Last Friday, we asked you to reproduce your description word for word.

As you might guess, a lot of detail was lost in one week. The second descriptions are in general much shorter than the first ones.

Individual students also CHANGED their descriptions:

age: 20 -> 19, 30 -> 25
height: 5'10" -> 5'11", 5'7" -> 6'0", 5'11" -> 6'1"
weight: 160 lbs -> 165 lbs, 200 lbs -> 185 lbs
gender: male -> female
time: 20 seconds -> 15 seconds
a "white scarf" changed to a "beige scarf"
"gray ski pants" changed to a "black ski pants"
"elephant slippers" changed to "bunny slippers"
a hoodie appears

Three students mentioned the tail on the visitor's butt and one student mentioned the pink rubber gloves in their second descriptions even though noone mentioned these in their first descriptions.

THESE DID NOT EXIST! YOUR PROFESSORS PLANTED THIS IDEA IN YOUR MEMORIES!

Your memory is not like a video tape that you can rewind and watch over and over. Every time that you retrieve a memory, you alter it, you construct new details and omit old ones.

Now that you have experienced first-hand the problems with remembering after only one week, you can appreciate the problems with memories of Roswell AFTER 30 YEARS!

If you are interested in false memories, research the name Elizabeth Loftus. This topic is connected with "recovered" memories of childhood sexual abuse, satanic rituals, and UFO abductions.