I have learned various mindboggling aspects relating to memory functioning in this class. For instance, I learned that memory is that what we say or believe as the truth and may not have happened as we put it. Memory is prone to manipulation that erases what actually happened. This creates the notion of false memory. False memory has led to a large number of people being jailed even if they did not commit any crimes. Memory can be influenced by the environment and the people who surround them. Therefore, we should always question what we hear to prevent miscommunication.
I was surprised by the extent to which memory can turn from the actual cycle of events to false memory within a very short time because of misinformation. The extent of misinformation depends on the exposure that an individual has had. The more exposure one has with elements of misinformation the more his or her memory would become diverged from the truth.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Misinformation is one of the challenging effects on memory. The original information becomes blended together in memory. Consequently, the misleading information may overwrite the original memory of what actually happened. An individual may also find it easy to retrieve the misleading information as it was recent. Time plays an important role in the extent of the misinformation that takes place ( Patihis, Frenda, & Loftus, 2018) . The effect of time is easily seen when the misinforming data is provided sometime after the occurrence of the event. For example, when an individual discusses the event with the rest of the witnesses, it is more likely that he or she might accept the views of others as the correct information ( Pickrell, Goan, & Loftus, 2014) . In the process, this distorts the original memory as the reports given by the other witnesses might conflict the original memory and be against the views of the witness.
The other example is when we follow news reports. Reading stories and watching the TV reports in regards to an accident may also contribute to some level of misinformation. People may forget the original information and may think that what they watch is something that they saw in the actual event ( Patihis, Frenda, & Loftus, 2018) . The repeated exposure to information that is misleading means that individuals may think that the misinformation is part of the original event. The effect of the misinformation can have an impact on the memory ( Pickrell, Goan, & Loftus, 2014) . To prevent the intervening information as well as events from becoming false memories, individuals should write down their memories immediately they happen. It is important to be aware of how the memory is susceptible to manipulation.
Ethical Dilemmas
The issue of false memory is one of the concerns that put a lot of question in regards to the extent to which the justice system should rely on witness recount of what happened ( Laney & Loftus, 2016) . This has been found to have some damaging effects as a considerable number of people have been wrongly jailed based on false information. There is need to ensure that more investigation is done to reduce the issue and promote ethics in the justice system.
The other ethical dilemma revolves around parents implanting memories in their children. In my view, this leads to misinformation for children but it may be necessary in some instances. Children are prone to a lot of information that can be harmful to them or they might not understand. Parents need may provide the children with misinformation as a way to protecting them from any harm. The same case applies to therapists who provide their patients with misinformation to ensure they recover well and do not undergo any harm in the process.
References
Laney, C., & Loftus, E. F. (2016). Eyewitness testimony and memory biases. Noba textbook series: Psychology .
Patihis, L., Frenda, S. J., & Loftus, E. F. (2018). False memory tasks do not reliably predict other false memories. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice .
Pickrell, J. E., Goan, J. A., & Loftus, E. F. (2014). Manufacturing False Memories Using Bits of Reality. In Implicit Memory and Metacognition (pp. 207-232). Psychology Press.
