False memory syndrome is a condition when a person strongly believes in incorrect memories. Memories can be altered by outside influences and may be the result of “recovered memory therapy”, according to forensic psychologist Ralph Underwager, sociologist Richard Ofshe and psychologist Elizabeth Loftus. This therapy includes hypnosis, sedatives and probing questions when it is believed that repressed memories are part of their client’s problem. Self help books and even the recovered memory therapist can be the cause of false memories. Elizabeth Loftus used this “therapy” to implant a memory of being lost in a mall as a child and found that 25% of her test subjects actually were believing that the memory was real.
Another memory disturbance is called “Confabulation”. Since people do not remember with 100% accuracy, partly remembered events are often filled with subtle fabrications. These can be drawn from other unrelated events, dreams or fantasies while they seem to be absolutely real when recalled. Confabulation can contain historical facts, spoken language, books read, fairy tales and non-personal information. When interviewed the story is often drawn from the patient’s actual experience including fantasized or read material. The patient believes strongly in these distorted memories. Research points the way that confabulation is a dysfunction of the cognitive process that controls the retrieval of memory.
Individuals, who have gaps in their memory are motivated to fill in and complete the memory and are absolutely sure the memory is correct. False memories and confabulations are problems for witnesses in court cases and have resulted many times in the conviction of innocent people. Confabulation is often the case when subjects recall something unusual and is convinced that the memory is from a real event. This explains why some people are absolutely convinced when they recall being abducted by aliens or visited Heaven. Patients whose brain function became undetectable by our instruments but were revived often report bizarre memories when the return of the brain function rebuilts memories by confabulation which are later recalled as a real experience, as in NDEs (Near death Experiences).
(JohnsonMK&Raye “False Memories and Confabulation”, LandonR& Turner “Delusion and Confabulation)
Another memory disturbance is called “Confabulation”. Since people do not remember with 100% accuracy, partly remembered events are often filled with subtle fabrications. These can be drawn from other unrelated events, dreams or fantasies while they seem to be absolutely real when recalled. Confabulation can contain historical facts, spoken language, books read, fairy tales and non-personal information. When interviewed the story is often drawn from the patient’s actual experience including fantasized or read material. The patient believes strongly in these distorted memories. Research points the way that confabulation is a dysfunction of the cognitive process that controls the retrieval of memory.
Individuals, who have gaps in their memory are motivated to fill in and complete the memory and are absolutely sure the memory is correct. False memories and confabulations are problems for witnesses in court cases and have resulted many times in the conviction of innocent people. Confabulation is often the case when subjects recall something unusual and is convinced that the memory is from a real event. This explains why some people are absolutely convinced when they recall being abducted by aliens or visited Heaven. Patients whose brain function became undetectable by our instruments but were revived often report bizarre memories when the return of the brain function rebuilts memories by confabulation which are later recalled as a real experience, as in NDEs (Near death Experiences).
(JohnsonMK&Raye “False Memories and Confabulation”, LandonR& Turner “Delusion and Confabulation)
RSS Feed