As Children, Half of Us Went on a Balloon Ride: What Do You Know About False Information?
According to research, introducing new information that includes details such as dates or numbers can have a significant impact on how people remember what they have seen or experienced.
The impact of false or misleading information demonstrates how easily memories can be influenced. Using eyewitness memories to issue a legal judgment, as well as the effect of false information, may result in inaccurate memory and in some cases, the formation of a false memory that differs from real events.
What impact does false information have?
According to psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, who is renowned for her research on false memories, "the pseudo-information effect" is the impairment of past memory that results from exposure to false information. According to research by Loftus and her associates, inquiries made after witnessing an event typically alter a person's memory of the event's specifics. In other words, the "false information effect," as the researchers called it, can cause memories to be distorted if the question contains false information.
Human consciousness is not as perfect as we believe it to be, and as a result, human memory will also not be perfect. Sometimes we may perceive things that do not exist, other times we may fail to recognize things that are right in front of us, and frequently false memories are created due to improper information storage.
For example, a witness to an accident might not have a clear understanding of all the details of what happened. Because they were not present for every detail, it may be difficult or impossible to recall them. Eyewitnesses' memories of events that never happened may be formed to fill in the "gaps."
Old and new memories are constantly competing
Other times, recent information and old memories clash because it is our old memories that shape or influence our new memories. In other situations, the new information might make it challenging to remember memories and experiences that were previously stored. We group both recent and distant memories for this reason. So the possibility of memory gaps remains, and the human brain tries to fill in the missing gaps often using current knowledge, in addition to past experiences or even future expectations.
You might, for example, be able to recall precisely where you were and what you were doing on September 11, 2001, when the terrorist attacks occurred. Although you believe that your memories of the incident are very accurate, there is a good chance that the news reports, stories, and analyses related to those disruptive actions have impacted your memory. This new information might contradict your existing recollections of the incident or fill in any gaps in your memory.
As children, half of us went on a balloon ride
In one well-known experiment done in 1995, psychologist Elizabeth Loftus successfully persuaded 25% of participants to believe false information that they had been lost in a mall as kids. Another study in 2002 found that by presenting participants with "evidence," which is a collection of photoshopped images, they could trick half of the participants into thinking they had once gone on a hot air balloon ride.
Most of the time, these false memories are focused on banal, illogical, or everyday events, but occasionally, they can have negative, even destructive, effects. An innocent person may be found guilty of a crime due to a false memory used in court. False memories can be a serious issue, but how exactly do they arise?
Experiment showing how false information affects behavior
Participants in Loftus' well-known experiment watched videos of a car accident. After viewing the video, the participants were questioned about what they had seen in a similar manner to how security personnel, investigators, and attorneys might question witnesses.
How quickly were the cars moving when they collided was one of the queries. The participants were then questioned regarding the speed at which the cars "crashed." According to the research, when the word "crashed" was used instead of "collided," participants remembered the information differently.
The participants were quizzed once more after a week, with questions like, "Have you seen broken glass?" The majority of participants responded correctly, but those who were asked to say "crashed" during the initial interview were more likely to misrepresent their experiences as having seen broken glass.
How could such a minute alteration cause false memories of the video? What are the theories about the impact of false information? Why does the effect of false information occur? What might cause false memories? Here are a few theories:
1. blending memories
According to one theory, people's memories confuse the truth, and the false information spreads after the event.
2. Replace Memories
Another scenario is that inaccurate information replaces the initial memory of the incident.
3. Bring up fond memories
The researchers added that it is simpler to retrieve the false information first because it is more recent in memory.
4. Flop
This is the unintentional filling in of memory gaps.
What are the factors that determine how effectively false information distorts actual memory?
1. Talk to other people about the facts
Speaking with people after an event can change the witness's original memory of what happened; their perspectives may conflict with the witness's primary memory of what happened; and the addition of new information may change the witness's actual memory of the events as they happened.
2. Following the news
Reading news articles and reports, as well as watching TV analyses of a specific incident, can all help to increase the impact of false information. People frequently forget the original source of information, which can lead them to believe falsely that certain facts were personally observed on the event scene when, in reality, they were heard or seen in a news report following the event.
3. Constantly being exposed to untrue information
People are more likely to mistakenly think that these events were part of the event's facts than the false information they are exposed to.
4. Time's passing
False information is much easier to retrieve if it is presented on the real or primary memories after some time has passed, making it more accessible in the memory and actually preventing the retrieval of the true memories.
How can the impact of false information be lowered?
What can stop interconnected data and events from interfering with memory or even fabricating a memory? One method of reducing memory shifting is to write down important events as they happen, but even this approach has room for error. Another useful and crucial technique is to be aware that your memory can be tricked, and that everyone is susceptible to the influence of false information.
People with stronger cognitive skills were found to be better at spotting differences between the memory of the true event and false information, according to studies looking at the pseudo-information effect model. People with advanced cognitive abilities tended to reflect on situations carefully and practice difficult mental exercises like crossword puzzles.
How can we tell when memory is false?
Some claim that it is impossible to tell the difference between a true memory and a false memory, which is extremely difficult to do both when trying to recall a specific event and when conducting memory research. If there are video recordings of the event, watching them may help determine whether your memory is accurate or not. It may also be helpful to use other people's memories of the event; if they all agree on the same details but have different recollections from yours, the impact of false information may have been particularly damaging to your memory.
In Conclusion
Slowing down when writing down events after they happen can help reduce memory errors as long as the events happened as we wrote them. False information can significantly impact our memories, sometimes leading us to believe that false memories are real. Nevertheless, keeping track of it can make you more alert when recalling an event, which lowers the likelihood that you will fall victim to false memories.