False Memories In Ted Talk

No matter the confidence one may feel when recalling an event or piece of information, the accuracy of what is remembered seems to be remarkably unstable. In this Ted Talk, psychological scientist Elizabeth Loftus discusses the tentative nature of memory, and the potential consequences of its failure. She begins by sharing a story of a false rape accusation, in which a man is convicted solely on the inaccurate testimony of the victim. Despite early uncertainty, the victim is later insistent that he is the man responsible. Even after being proven innocent, the damage caused by this false accusation untimely ruined and ended his life. Loftus then focuses her lecture on false memories. Rather than acting as permeant recordings of the past, memories are instead easily edited and highly suggestable. This was demonstrated during the 1990s, when a significant increase in bizarre and likely false memories were described by patients who underwent specific forms of psychotherapy such as dream interpretation, hypnosis, and exposure to false memories. Loftus further explored this phenomena by detailing studies in which false memories such as nearly drowning, being lost in a mall, or being attacked by a vicious animal were successfully implanted into participants. After speaking out against such practices and demonstrating the falsehood surrounding the therapies,

Memories, regardless of their accuracy, have an incredible influence over actions and decisions. It is important that memory, one of the primary features studied by cognitive psychologists, is accurately portrayed and understood as best as is currently possible. As demonstrated by Loftus’s description of the false rape allegation, the use of misuse and misunderstanding of memories can have horrific and potentially lethal