Implantation Of False Memory Essay

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Analysing The Ethics of Memory Manipulation Studies (Deletion and Implantation)
Memory is the glue that binds your identity together. Without memory our lives would be stuck in this moment. We would never be able to learn from our past and make a change in our future. Memory represents who we are and how we learn and navigate the world. From implanting a false memory to deleting fear by interfering with memory processes, scientists are probing into our memories more than ever; using cutting-edge techniques to study the mechanism of memory. For a long time psychologists understood memory as analogous to a library - where large amounts of information could be stored for a long time and retrieved on demand (Nematzadeh). But research shows that memory is far more malleable; always being written and rewritten, not just by us but by others. We are discovering the precise mechanisms that can explain and even control our memories. The question is - are we ready? In this paper, I wish …show more content…

Elizabeth Loftus, an expert on human memory and psychologist, conducted the famous “Lost in the mall” experiment. By the end of the experiment about 25% of the participants not only "remembered" the implanted memory of being lost in the mall but also filled in the missing details (Loftus and Pickrell). It is still natural to wonder whether one could go even further and implant a memory of abuse. Ethically of course, it would not be permissible, but it has anecdotally been recorded, such as in the dramatic case of Paul Ingram of Olympia, Washington (Loftus 1993).

Implantation of False Memory (Crime). Moving one step further Dr. Julia Shaw in 2015 published a study in which she succeeded in getting 70% of the participants to falsely remember a crime they've committed in their past. She believes that a few hours in a friendly environment and some poor memory retrieval techniques are all that is required to implant a false memory

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