Memory Exercise
Two Fridays ago, an odd event occurred in lecture which we asked you
to describe in detail. On Monday, 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: 21 -> mid tolate twenties
- height: 5'10" -> 6'0", 6'0" -> 6'2"
- weight: 200 lbs -> 185 lbs
- time: 5 sec -> 10 sec, 10 sec -> 20 sec, 20 sec -> 30 sec,
- a "white scarf" changed to a "beige scarf"
- red hair appears
- a purple hat appears
Three students mentioned the white card on the hat
and one student mentioned the pink rubber glove
in their second descriptions even though no one mentioned these in their
first descriptions. The white card was real, but
THE PINK GLOVE DID NOT EXIST! YOUR PROFESSORS PLANTED THIS IDEA IN
YOUR MEMORIES!
Picture of the perp
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.