Our memories have and continue to shape us. Many argue that we are in fact the sum total of our memories. As human beings; we reminisce over funny childhood stories, we cling onto treasured memories of loved ones and hold to our chests moments that we never want to slip between our fingers. In cognitive terms, memory refers to the constructive process of storing, retaining and recovering information. Through this retrieval process however, our memories can be modified. I recently wrote an essay for university about whether implausible events such as childhood sexual abuse can be implanted in someone’s memory. I was consumed by the topic, I immersed myself in hundreds of different research papers surrounding false memory implantation. I eventually reached my conclusion that: false memories, even implausible ones, can be planted in individuals. With this being said, I’d like to add a trigger warning here, that there will be brief mentions of sexual assault.
Retrieving a memory depends on cues, these cues can be internal ones constructed by the subject or they can be provided to them through an external source such as context. Recounting a memory therefore is not just simply withdrawing it, instead it is a reconstructive and creative process. People construct an account of the past using existing memories, general knowledge and the demands of the remembering context. This assembling process of memory is delicate and therefore the building blocks of memory are impressionable. Lessening the reliability of these building blocks will contribute to the development of flawed memories. Manipulative techniques can be employed to plant fabricated memories- even traumatising ones.
This field of research behind implanting false memories was brought into the spotlight when patients suffering from issues such as eating disorders, depression or anxiety were going into hypnotic therapy and coming out with claims of sexual assault against immediate family members. After thorough investigations, it came to light that the psychiatrists were using suggestive hypnotic techniques to manipulate and plant traumatic memories of sexual abuse. One patient came out of therapy for anxiety, claiming she had been in a satanic cult that forced her to eat babies and commit other horrendous acts.
Using doctored photographs is a powerful manipulation technique that can assist with implanting memories. Using images is a good way to provoke memories for anyone, however coupling suggestive questions with photographs can induce the creation of false memories. People consider photographs to be a persuasive and if not concrete form of evidence that the event in the photograph did really happen. Other studies showed that it was possible to plant memories of being possessed as a child, of having seen glass at the scene of a car crash when there wasn’t any. What surprised me the most was how influential words are in memory retrieval. In Loftus’ study, participants were shown a car crash and then asked how fast the cars were going when they hit each other. The study showed that, on average, the speed given was higher when the participants were asked how fast the cars were going when they “smashed” into each other and not “hit”.
What I wanted to find out was whether our memory was this impressionable in high stress situations. All the experiments I had read so far were about memory implantation in low stress situations e.g. car crash simulations that didn’t involve them. So, after some digging, I found a relatively new study published by Loftus. This study exclusively used trained military personnel as the participants (as it is thought that military members can handle high intensity situations better than the rest of us). They were placed in a war-hostage simulation. They were held captive in a POW camp, where they were physically punished, waterboarded and tortured with sleep and food deprivation. The experimenters used suggestive comments such as asking, “what colour glasses did your interrogator have?” instead of “did your interrogator wear glasses?”. The study proved that even in intense situations, manipulative techniques can be employed to alter memory or even wholly implant them.
Our memories make us human. However, being human means that we are susceptible to memory alteration or implantation. Memory is a malleable and imaginative process that can be easily influenced and distorted, therefore the validity of a memory is hard to determine. The source of the suggestive memory and possession of a pre-existing script also influence the subject’s recall of the incident. It is imperative to note that just because a memory appears detailed and is assertively and emotionally conveyed, it does not mean that the event really happened. Our memories change every time we tell them to someone. The boundaries of memory formation are not yet well-defined create false memories. Creating false memories and distorting existing ones can easily be done, therefore precaution must be taken in fields such as psychotherapy.
- sham x
I’ve had a few weeks off from my blog. At first, I set myself the intention to post weekly, and initially I stuck to it for the first few months. However, as things piled on with work, university deadlines, exam revision and balancing my free time, it became a bit too easy to push my blog at the bottom of my to-do list. I would beat myself up about it every Friday night and retell myself that I’m not keeping up with my resolution… but it’s okay. It’s okay to not be on top of everything all the time, it’s okay to take a break from some things and to prioritise others. The memories I have made in the last few weeks with loved ones, and the naps I’ve had instead of writing my blog has been worth it. Anyways, here is my poem of the week:
Rising
having
some summers gone
dug out
that old tree stump
that darkened my garden
having waited
without planting
(for it was impossible then to choose the growth)
having lost the dream
but not the art of healing
having released the roots of pain
into content
I now stir the skies
jean breeze
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