Memories Of Things Unseen Summary

Humans are susceptible to memory distortion because of our mind’s natural need to make sense of uncertain events and ideas. When forming any memory, we filter in and out information to make the construction understandable - our memory construction process forces us to ignore contradictory information so we can have a clearer image to rely on. Our minds are easily influenced by external sources, often leaving them victim to manipulation. In “Memories of Things Unseen,” written by Elizabeth Loftus, the author examines the role of suggestion in memory distortion and construction. She presents anecdotes of real life circumstances where manipulation of the memory has played a detrimental role in individuals’ lives. Additionally, she explains the

Within the justice system, courts frequently rely on witnesses to recall their memories of the events in question; unfortunately, because the court cannot accept a testimate containing uncertainty, the statements of the witnesses are taken entirely as the truth and consideration is not given to the faultiness of memory. Courts should consider whether information gathered after an event affects the witness’s perception and memory. Loftus gives the heartbreaking example of a man convicted of rape and wrongly sentenced to prison because the victim was convinced by the police of his guilt. Though she could not recall his face in a line-up prior to receiving evidence that he was the rapist; after, however, with the help of her emotional need to have closure she convinced the man was guilty. When presented with evidence of an event provided by confident sources, people are more willing to accept information and apply it to the gaps in their

The subjects of the study were instructed to read articles that were intended to make possessions appear possible. Because the subjects were provided with information by figures of authority (the researchers and the articles which likely were meant to seem academic) they were more likely to believe it was possible. Furthermore, because the event provided an explanation of a part of their life that seemingly had no cause (childhood fears) they were increasingly willing to accept the information given. There is a difference, however, between believing something because one is gullible and creating a memory of the event. Loftus states that compared to control groups, those who were suggested to have witnessed demonic possession were more likely to confidently say it occurred in their own life - this, I think, is a result of people attributing an unexplainable event in their childhood to what now appeared to be a possible occurrence. There is value in this study still because of the idea that individuals’ need to understand past events and thus their memories change to remember a the event in a different