How Implanted Memories Can Have Real-Life Repercussions

Filmed Jun 2013 • Posted Sep 2013

Elizabeth Loftus: The fiction of memory

"Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus studies memories. More precisely, she studies false memories, when people either remember things that didn't happen or remember them differently from the way they really were. It's more common than you might think, and Loftus shares some startling stories and statistics, and raises some important ethical questions we should all remember to consider.

Memory-manipulation expert Elizabeth Loftus explains how our memories might not be what they seem -- and how implanted memories can have real-life repercussions."

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory.html

Speakers Elizabeth Loftus: False memories scholar

http://www.ted.com/speakers/elizabeth_loftus.html
 
The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories and Allegations of Sexual Abuse

http://www.amazon.com/Myth-Repressed-Memory-Memories-Allegations/dp/0312141238/ref=la_B000APKT0Q_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358653207&sr=1-2

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September 23, 2013 at 3:00 pm EDT

Elizabeth Loftus on embedding false memories in U.S. soldiers

“We can’t reliably distinguish true memories from false memories,” declares psychologist Elizabeth Loftus in today’s talk. She’s spent the past forty years studying the memory, and has reached some mind-blowing conclusions about what we know, and what we think we know. Here, she shares more detail about her work, and suggests further reading for anyone interested in finding out more about the topic.

http://blog.ted.com/2013/09/23/elizabeth-loftus-on-embedding-false-memories-in-u-s-soldiers/

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1996

Memory, Abuse, and Science: Questioning Claims about the False Memory Syndrome Epidemic

"NOTE: This article is the award address for the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Public Service. It was published in American Psychologist, vol. 51, no. 9, pages 957-974.

ABSTRACT: Careful assessment of purported scientific discoveries and the resulting interpretations is a responsibility of every scientist. The area of memory, particularly memory for abuse, has recently seen new, highly publicized claims. These include the proposal of a new diagnostic category, the false memory syndrome; claims about the ease with which extensive autobiographical memories can be implanted; and estimates of the extent therapists use risky practices likely to cause false memory syndrome. This article suggests questions to evaluate these claims and the methods used to promote them. Implications for clinical standards and malpractice are discussed."

http://www.kspope.com/memory/memory.php