Memory is a vital part of cognition that plays a crucial role in perception, problem-solving, and attention. People rely on memories to make judgments or critical important decisions. In some instances, it is one’s memory that makes the difference between life and death. However, psychologists have established that human memory is not immune to errors, particularly false memory. Essentially, false memory is misremembering events or remembering events that never took place. The debate on false memories has remained controversial in the public domain with either side supporting or questioning the reality of false memories. This essay explores various sources of information written by both academics and non-academics to shed more light on the debate about whether or not false memories are real.
Developing a false memory is possible. Indeed, this was the position of memory experts in response to NBC anchor Brian Williams claims that his faulty memory had led him to provide an inaccurate account of their experiences in the war zone in 2003 (Somaiya, 2015). Mr. Williams was one of the journalists who covered the Iraq invasion in 2003 and sensationally claimed that he had been on the plane that was shot down by a grenade during the war in 2003. However, the first flight engineer of the helicopter as well as the pilot questioned Mr. William’s account and insisted that he was in fact, not in the plane that was hit. Instead, Mr. Williams was in the helicopter that followed the one that had been hit. In his apology for giving an inaccurate account, Mr. Williams stated that his memory had failed him and he could no longer accurately recall the event that took place more than a decade ago (Somaiya, 2015). Mr. William’s case is proof that human memory can lapse, making one remember events that did not happen or misremember them. From the memory expert’s perspective, the human memory is imperfect and people only tend to remember a tiny piece of information or a part of what they experience. With time, the ability to access the memory and give an accurate account of it diminishes. Mr. Williams’ claim that his mind lapsed is, therefore, plausible.
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From Prof. Elizabeth Loftus expert’s discussions on Mr. Williams’ case, human memory is malleable and also subject to external influence. In the external environment, human beings receive many signals which have the capacity to distort their memories. Based on the theory, possibly the more Mr. Williams was bombarded with questions about his experience during the Iraqi war, the more he got his memory signals crossed (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). He began visualizing things differently and kept on saying the story over and over. Speaking out and listening to other people’s experiences most likely altered his own memory. According to Prof. Loftus’ opinion, human memory tends to capture events, ideas or things that are more positive, bring more satisfaction or are generally more elevating (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). Essentially, the memory of particular events sparks one’s imagination to think about what might have been or what could have been as opposed to what really was. The more an individual remembers something and it becomes a part of them, the more they visualize it in a better way to elevate themselves. In this case, Mr. William’s memory might have been taken over by his own imagination. The attention he received after covering the story might have made him idolize himself, thinking he could have been some kind of superhero who put himself in harm’s way just to cover the events of the war. Consistent with Prof. Loftus’ views, human memory is sometimes accompanied by visions of events that would have enhanced the reputation of an individual (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). Many people have a tendency to remember that they gave more to charity even if they only did it once. In marriages or relationships, for instance, it is not uncommon for a man or a woman to argue that they did so much for the relationship or supported their spouses financially even if they only did it once. In this regard, human memory by nature tends to illuminate positive aspects of human life and experiences but ultimately become distorted. Another example is that of Hillary Clinton who, during the 2008 campaign claimed to have landed in Bosnia amid sniper fire. Video footage would later reveal that it was not true. In fact, Hillary Clinton had been welcomed by children who gave her flowers. From a layman’s perspective, it is tempting to argue that Hillary Clinton intentionally lied just to gain political mileage. However, going with Prof. Loftus’ theory, Hillary Clinton’s knowledge of the demands of the office she was running for could have changed her perspectives and led her to visualize things differently (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). Perhaps she visualized herself as the commander-in-chief and understood that there would be instances when she would have to visit US servicemen in combat and come directly in harm’s way. Her changed perception and visualization might have eventually led her to lose her memory of what happened. She, therefore, reported what she visualized as opposed to what happened. In a nutshell, false memories do exist and can be influenced by factors in the external environment as well as the signals that keep bombarding an individual.
Memory loss can also be self-instigated. If an individual chooses to report an event or state a lie over and over, it is possible for the true memory of that event to be erased, making it difficult for the person to later give an accurate account. Essentially, this could also be an alternative explanation to Mr. Williams case where he might have chosen to tell his inaccurate version of the story in order to prove a certain point. Possibly, Mr. Williams chose to lie but for a good cause. Probably he wanted people to think more clearly about the plight or the experiences of the servicemen and women. He might also have wanted to communicate the dangers that journalists face, particularly when covering events in war-torn areas. The news anchor maybe thought he would have passed out his message more strongly had he twisted the story to place himself at the center of the experience. Putting himself in harm’s way could have improved his reputation and career. With that in mind, Mr. William then repeatedly told his version of the twisted story and gradually his memory’s grasp of the actual story weakened. Mr. Williams’ change in memory could have been made worse by the fact that for a long time, no one came forward to challenge or question the authenticity of his account of the events that happened during the war. Indeed, it was only until the helicopter’s flight engineer stepped up to challenge the story that Mr. Williams remembered the genesis of his lie. Importantly, this is also another alternative explanation of Mr. Williams’ memory loss. As expected, he would come up with a more plausible lie to accompany his apology because admitting that he had intentionally given a false story could have damaged his reputation as a journalist.
There is no consensus among psychologists about the reality of false memories. There are those who argue that false memories are fake and people simply choose to lie in order to achieve certain ends. According to Prof. Dany Ariel, it is likely that Mr. Williams simply lied in order to make his story juicier and perhaps take his journalism career to a higher level. Prof. Ariel opines that it is not possible for one to forget or misremember an event as big as having been in a helicopter that was hit by a giant grenade (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). There are instances when one can forget but it is implausible that Mr. Williams actually forgot that he was not in the plane that got hit. Critics of the theory that false memories are real, including Prof. Ariel, opine that lying is part of human nature. Everyone lies from time to time and for various reasons. Based on his own experiments, Prof. Ariel argues that people have a tendency to lie when they do not know the person they are lying to or when lying simply suits them (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). In Mr. Williams case, he did not personally know his audience and it was difficult to verify his claims. Moreover, lying would have perhaps built his reputation as a courageous journalist and that is why he chose to lie. Based on Prof. Ariel’s assertion, there are no false memories, but people who tell the truth and people who lie (Southern California Public Radio, 2015). Prof. Ariel’s views offer the only logical explanation for veteran broadcaster Ray Gosling who lied that he had mercy killed his lover, sixteen years earlier (Ronson, 2010). By his own admission, Mr. Gosling thought his fans would love him after telling the story but it backfired. He was later convicted for wasting up to 1800 hours of police time in a false confession. The police established that Gosling was in France at the time, covering a football match and there was no way he would have killed his lover. Mr. Gosling stated that he loves his people and they love him back and that he craves for ordinariness in order to be like the people he interacts (Ronson, 2020). So, after interviewing many people who had mercy killed their lovers, his sympathies pushed him to imagine that probably he had done it to his lover too. Mr. Gosling’s case is similar to that of Comedian Steve Rannazzisi who claimed to have narrowly escaped the 9/11 attack but later admitted to having lied (Kovaleski, 2015). Rannazzisi’s case is not one of false memory but one of intentional lying. As a comedian, lying to have escaped the 9/11 attack would have given him visibility and probably expand his audience and career.
In conclusion, false memories are rare although people also choose to lie under the guise of false memories. Based on the views of different memory experts, it is difficult to determine whether or not one has a false memory or whether they simply chose to misrepresent the facts. However, false memories are real and are caused by natural factors when malleable human memory inevitably fails. When an event takes place, the capacity of the human memory to remember it diminishes with time, and a person is likely to misremember it. False memories also occur due to the external signals that an individual receives which makes them visualize things differently and distort their memories. When people imagine things and talk about them over and over, the original version of such things or events in the memory changes. Nevertheless, arguments that false memories are fake are also plausible since there are many cases when people simply lie to attain personal gains. Psychologists have established that human beings lie from time to time when it is convenient to do so.
References
Kovaleski, S. F. (2015, September 16). Steve Rannazzisi, Comedian Who Told of 9/11 Escape, Admits He Lied. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/arts/television/steve-rannazzisi-comedian-who-told-of-9-11-escape-admits-he-lied.html
Ronson, J. (2010, October 1). Ray Gosling: 'I looked into that camera. And I just said it' | Jon Ronson. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/oct/02/ray-gosling-interview
Somaiya, R. (2015, February 5). Brian Williams Admits He Wasn't on Copter Shot Down in Iraq. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/business/media/brian-williamsapologizes-for-saying-he-was-shot-down-over-iraq.html
Southern California Public Radio. (2015, February 7). Memory expert and behavioral economist debate Brian Williams' false-memory claims. Retrieved from https://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2015/02/06/41447/can-brian-williams-really-have-misremembered-memor/
