We are all clear that our brain is an amazing machine and that its capabilities are the envy of the most cutting-edge computers. But is it really as accurate as we think?
How can we be sure that everything we remember is real? What if an event that we remember with complete clarity is not only distorted, but actually never took place?
Let’s see how possible it is to experience this curious phenomenon by exploring a disturbing question: Is it possible to implant memories in people?
We no longer speak only of being wrong in the memory of a past event, which we recover with a partial or total distortion, but of that said false memory has come to your memory on purpose through the action of someone Could something like this happen?
Before delving into the underlying mechanisms, we give you the answer: yes, you can remember something that has never happened thanks to the intentionality of another individual.
Susumu Tonegawa, from MIT, has shown not only that this phenomenon is possible, but that the process by which it occurs is the same as that of the creation of a true memory, and this is through neural networks that create engrams. . Tonegawa found the region of the hippocampus on which he had to act, using light, to achieve his goal, through a method called optogenetics
In his experiment, he managed to condition several mice, through a small shock, so that they remembered him and did not enter a certain chamber. The key is that They had received the shock in a different chamber, but the mice “remembered” having received it in the one they now feared
The Mandela effect
We can see other false memory phenomena that are much simpler, without having to go to a laboratory For example, there is a curious phenomenon in which events that did not happen, or at least not in a certain way, are remembered by a multitude of people, sometimes by a large part of society.
It is known as the “Mandela effect”, because one of the most popular is the popular belief that Nelson Mandela died in the 80s, when in reality he did so in 2013. It is a term created by Fiona Broome, a very popular blogger. known in the pseudoscientific field.
There are many examples of this peculiar effect, some so popular that the reader will have a hard time believing that those memories are not real. Some are from the cinematographic sphere: the famous quote: “Play it again, Sam”, is never said in the Casablanca film, and the well-known “Luke, I am your father” said by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, is in reality: “No, I am your father.” And, the truth is that in the Snow White movie, the formula: “Mirror, mirror” is not used either, even though we have heard it ad nauseam in our childhood.
And, if you like art, you surely know Rodin’s famous sculpture, The Thinker. Could you imitate his posture for a moment? If you have rested your hand on your forehead, we regret to inform you that you are wrong, since in reality the statue does so on its chin.
False memory syndrome
Although it is not a disorder recognized by the main diagnostic manuals (ICD-10, from the WHO and DSM-V, from the APA), it has become a very popular term. This is a concept coined by psychologist (and mathematician) Elizabeth Loftus He has dedicated practically his entire career to studying false memory, and to do so he has used curious experiments, which we will see in depth later.
critics
The main problem with this disorder is that it was born surrounded by controversy, since it began to become popular following the investigation of several cases of sexual abuse of minors in which, apparently, there were a series of repressed memories related to these acts, which in theory emerged thanks to different techniques
It was then that the Foundation for False Memory Syndrome was created, through which a series of parents who had been accused of exercising these abuses on their children, relied on this disorder to defend their innocence. They maintained that this had never taken place and that their offspring’s memories were undoubtedly false.
Thus, Debate soon arose in the courts and in the scientific community about the credibility of this disorder and if it was not a mere excuse that the accused used to avoid criminal consequences for the acts that were being tried.
Something very similar happens, although in another area of ​​Psychology, with Parental Alienation Syndrome or SAP since it also had a controversial origin and has not achieved the support of scientists to be included in the lists of diagnoses of disorders.
A practical case
The whole topic of repressed memories vs. false memories is discussed in depth by Elizabeth Loftus in the famous article Who abused Jane Doe? In it she tells the story of a girl who was allegedly abused by her mother in the 1980s, when she was 6 years old.
Throughout the judicial process, David Corwin, a psychologist, was commissioned to conduct an expert opinion on the little girl’s testimony. He concluded that such abuses had indeed occurred, based on a series of indicators that he established.
The problem is that, When Loftus studied the case, he found a series of inconsistencies and omitted information throughout the process which, at least, were enough to cast doubt on the conclusion, and even more so with the seriousness of the accusation it implied.
This is a tremendously interesting reflection since, based on the same practical case, we first obtain a vision that speaks of repressed traumatic memories, while in the second we find the possibility that said memories have been implanted, and therefore , are false.
Experiments
Dr. Elizabeth Loftus has dedicated decades of work to achieve methods that allow us to discern whether it is possible to implant memories, since, as she herself says, In an investigation it is equally important not to contaminate the crime scene as the testimony of a witness
We are going to highlight some of his famous experiments.
Lost in the mall
This is a test carried out on different subjects in which four episodes relating to their own lives were told to them, thanks to the information that friends and family had previously provided. The peculiarity is that one of those four was false, and It consisted of the experience of getting lost as children in a shopping center
After some time they were asked to remember all those experiences and say if they remembered. No less than 25% of the participants said they remembered the false event.
And, even more astonishing, when it was explained to them that one of the four anecdotes they were working with had not happened, and they were asked to try to figure out which one, More than 20% said something different from the fraudulent one
Traffic accident
In another experiment, volunteers were made to watch video sequences showing accidents between different cars. Later they were asked to remember what happened, but it was done through very specific questions which in some cases included terms such as “contact” and in others “shock”, and similar.
The result left no room for doubt. With something as simple as the choice of one word or another, they were already managing to suggest the subjects, since those who were asked the question in “soft” terms stated that the cars were going at a low speed, while the others They were sure the vehicles were moving very fast before impact.
Implications
After the in-depth investigations carried out by Elizabeth Loftus, she came to a clear conclusion: It is possible to implant memories, and it is also relatively easy to do so
To summarize the impact of this phenomenon, she herself used a truly devastating phrase in one of the interviews she was interviewed: “Your memories are like Wikipedia articles. You can modify them, but so can others.”
