Abstract This paper presents a research proposal for looking at whether or not a therapist can implant falsememories in a patient. The paper evaluates the issue and suggests a methodology for studying this issue.
From the Paper "Davis and Dalgleish state that false memory syndrome is one of the most controversial issues in the mental health field, noting that essentially it involves recollection of memories usually of sexual abuse that were either falsely programmed or which are legitimately recovered. Bjorklund spells the notion of false memory syndrome out in more detail conceptualizing it as a condition in which an individual's identity and interpersonal relationships center around a..."
Abstract Summary: The repressed/falsememory debate is marked by sharp polarities of what Loftus terms firm believers and skeptics who "point to the reconstructive nature of memory and ask for evidence and corroboration". The debate is far from theoretical since individual's reputations and futures are at stake. While the claims and arguments on both sides of the controversy will be discussed, the purpose here is to explore the nature of memory, repression and dissociation to determine if therapists can distinguish between true and falsememories of childhood trauma.
Abstract This paper explores what falsememory is and how and why we use it. It also explores the difference between semantic and phonological processing. The effects of falsememory and the varying factors influencing it including thought processing and time before encoding are investigated and discussed thoroughly. The papers also compares this experiement to other similar studies. The results are consistent across all participants and support the theory of falsememory effects efficiently.
From the Paper "One hypothesis that can be looked at is: HA: False memory effects are influenced by the depth of processing at encoding. HO: False memory effects are not influenced by the depth of processing at encoding. This can be studied by looking at the empirical results and searching for a large difference between the amount of unstudied critical words and the amount of unstudied unrelated words that are "remembered" across the field of participants. Another hypothesis that can be tested is: HA: False memory effects occur for phonological as well as semantic associates of encoding lists. HO: False memory effects occur for only phonological associates of encoding lists. From the results, it cannot be proven that these types of false memory effects absolutely exist, but can be strongly argued that they do. The larger amount of participants used the better the result that we can achieve."
Abstract This paper describes a research that examined how some words can be falsely recalled during a memory recollection test. The writer explains that, in the research, one 23-year-old student completed an Internet based test that presented a sequence of words followed by a grid of 16 words. The writer notes that the participant selected which words in the grid had previously been shown. The participant correctly recalled 71.43% of previously presented words, 2.08% of non-semantically related words and 66.66% of semantically related words. The writer concludes that falsememories are easy to create for words that are highly semantically related. The writer maintains that these results add weight to the semantic model of memory and arguments against other models of memory. Further, the writer notes that these results have important implications in the identification of suspects during criminal investigations.
From the Paper "Endo and Masao demonstrated that knowledge about the false memory phenomena could alter results. They informed one group of participants about the false memory phenomena but not the other. Half of each group were then asked to respond within four seconds, the other within eight as to whether they 'remembered' seeing the word. Results showed that in the slow condition false memory rates were lower within the forewarned group compared to the uniformed group. However in the fast condition there was no significant difference between the forewarned and uninformed group. Thus in the current experiment the participant is likely to have made more errors had he been uninformed of the false memory phenomena and under time pressure. This would explain why these results do not vary more significantly in comparison to other research. Similarly how words are presented can affect results."
Abstract The repressed memory controversy has spawned numerous debates in a variety of fields, from clinical psychology to legal studies, from the utility of repressed memory testimony in the courtroom to the nature of memory storage and recall. This paper reviews the research literature around the concept of repressed memories and proposes that, despite its emerging salience as a factor, one area not elaborately researched is the role of gender in repressed memories. The paper proposes an experiment designed to test whether gender may affect the creation of falsememories in undergraduates and postulates an outcome based on the hypothesis that the social acceptability of a suggested memory increases how readily participants assimilate new memories (and this can be correlated with gender socialization). The experiment's goal is to work toward understanding the role of gender in the occurrence of repressed memories.
From the Paper "Given the predominance of repressed memory in females, the problem begs the question: does gender affect cognition? The full answer to that question is complex beyond the scope of this paper, but the general summary is that the evidence is inconclusive. From the popular view, it is generally believed that females are better at certain tasks such as facial recognition, color recollection, emotional recognition, and verbal memory; while males are better at tasks such as visuospatial reasoning, chronology, and number memory. At the same time, despite these persistent stereotypes, the evidence to support them is not conclusive (c.f. Caplan, 1997; Halpern 1986). We can say that there is some evidence indicating females may be more suggestible than males (McFarlane, 2002), which might account in part for of the difference in repressed memory, given that a predominance of clients are in therapy (under the influence of a therapist) at the time of the recovery (Freyd, 1999)."
Abstract In this article, the writer explains that for therapists, true memories can provide clues as to why patients are suffering from a variety of psychological problems. The writer notes that helping clients gain a clearer understanding requires greater and more detailed insight into the patient's past. Further, the writer points out that most clinical psychologists believe that children can learn to block memories as a survival mechanism and repression, which may cease to be helpful in adult life. Away from the traumatic environment, adults may find their memories resurfacing, either gradually in fragments, or suddenly in vivid flashbacks. The writer maintains that the issue of repressed memory remains controversial, even with the American Psychological Association itself. The writer then concludes that the real truth may be that not all cases are false and not all cases are true, but when dealing with the complex and suggestible process of memory and recall, it can be difficult to discern truth from fiction.
From the Paper "The debate over so-called recovered memory syndrome leaves therapists in a bind. Even the name of the syndrome is controversial. Advocates who say the memories are real call the memories repressed, those who say the memories are false call the memories planted. In 1996, Susan Clancy, then a psychology fellow at Harvard, tried to find a way to see if some people were more prone to re-create memories than other people. She tested women who said they had repressed and then recovered memories of sexual abuse, and control groups who said they were either never sexually abused or had never forgotten their abuse. All were asked to study, memorize and then recite back a list of related words, like candy, sugar, cookie and brownie, that were related to the word sweet--but never the word sweet itself. Everybody had a tendency to falsely remember that the word sweet was one of the words that had been listed, but the women who claimed to have recovered memories of sexual abuse were significantly more likely than the control groups to be very, very confident that the critical word sweet was falsely on that list."
Abstract This paper explains that children in the pre-operational stage of development (ages 2-6) are limited in their ability to think and perceive because they are both egocentric and intuitive, seeing the world only in black and white, and because they believe that all things, both animate and inanimate, have the ability to think and fee. (animism). The author points out that the development of memory in children makes them susceptible to social influences and the recollection of falsememories; therefore, children are particularly affected by suggestibility and interviewer bias. The paper suggests future investigation of childhood memory assessment as it relates to education and to children being interviewed in familiar surroundings. The paper includes several long quotations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Social Influences on Memory in Children
Future Research
Conclusion
From the Paper "As it relates to interviewer bias, the article asserts the interviewer bias occurs when an interviewer has a priori of beliefs concerning and event and because of these beliefs fashion the interview to exploit disclosures from the interviewee that are consistent with the interviewer's aforementioned beliefs. The article contends that one characteristic of interviewer bias is the attempt to collect only confirmatory evidence and to evade all questions that may generate disconfirmatory evidence."
Abstract This paper discusses the effects of repressed memories of child sexual abuse. The paper first examines the link between trauma and repressed memories. The paper then comments on the falsememory debate. The rest of the paper is dedicated to a discussion of the lifetime effects of childhood sexual abuse, such as experiencing dissociative disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Abstract This paper discusses how, even though it is believed that some cases of sexual abuse are true and actually took place, others may have just been implanted in the minds of the traumatized victims by their psychiatrist or psychotherapist. It explains how opponents of this view maintain that recovered memories are actually accurate because it is impossible for the medical practitioner to implant falsememories. The paper studies both views closely to reach an objective conclusion.
From the Paper "When a woman comes forth with delayed memories of sexual abuse, her credibility is usually at stake since people doubt delayed recovery of some traumatic experience. The proponents of "false memory syndrome" maintain that children who have been sexually abuses cannot forget such a traumatic experience and therefore those who come up with delayed memories are victims of FMS (Lego, 1996). FMS or false memory syndrome refers to the case whereby a medical practitioner usually a psychiatrist or psychologist is accused of implanting false memories in the minds of their patients (Kardiner, 1941). This group maintains that memories are very delicate and sensitive to impression and any influence can alter their original form. Contamination of memory occurs when a patient with signs of trauma visits a psychiatrist and during the treatment, the patient is subjected to memory recovery procedures, which can lead to recovery of some kind of trauma that never existed. It is believed this happens because of suggestions made by the psychiatrist during the memory recovery procedure. This is the viewpoint of skeptics who ?argue that the notion of repression is purely hypothetical and essentially untestable, based as it is on unsubstantiated speculation and anecdotes that are impossible to confirm or deny." "
Abstract This paper looks closely at a chapter describing the inner workings of our human memory, and the three component system that we utilize to retail information. Using sensory memory, working memory and long-term memory we can learn to better encode information in order to be more successful students. The more meaning we can attach to our memories, the stronger memories they become.
From the Paper "Memories can seem to be fleeting moments, shocking us when we can not seem to recall the most standard pieces of information, or surprisingly dense, as when details one thought completely unimportant rise clearly into our thoughts. Understanding the processes behind memory can aid our quests to recall specific information similarly to how an information processing system such as a computer or database works. Through a clear understanding of the three component model of memory--sensory memory, working or short term memory and long term memory--one can apply this awareness towards creating specific rehearsal and encoding cues which will be more likely to remain stable in our long term memory. While the processes of memory have been speculated upon for centuries, a current model describes memory utilizing technological imagery. "
Abstract This well-researched paper reviews and analyzes the latest published research and relevant results pertaining to the nature and dynamics of human memory. The writer of this paper explores the significance of sleep on the formation of memory as well as the impact of menopause and its tendency to affect a woman's memory. This paper details the results of various studies which clearly explain the three distinct stages of memory while also delving into how and why memories either linger on or vanish. This paper presents the findings of studies done on babies and their capacity to remember which greatly increases between 8 and 12 months while long-term memory is not fully developed until after the first year of life. This paper also details the author's results to a particular experiment conducted on 11 students which focused on recognition and delayed recall as they pertained to names and numbers.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Discussion
Psychological Laboratory Report
Bibliography
From the Paper "Findings of a new research unravel the three distinct stages of a memory, how memories endure or vanish. These stages are the stabilizing, the enhancing and the modifying of a memory. In the first stage, the memory or experience is created in the brain, stabilized and then saved like computer files but, unlike computer files, the memory needs six waking hours to become stabilized. The second stage happens during a full night's sleep, on which the enhancement of memory is absolutely dependent, and underscores the significance of sleep to the learning process. And the third stage is the recall phase, wherein the memory that has been stabilized and enhanced can be modified. These findings were drawn from a new research conducted with 100 young subjects, aged 18 to 27 in several finger-tapping sequences at various intervals and points in the sleep-wake cycle. The research, conducted at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, focused on procedural skill memory, the type that enables the learning of coordination-based skills, like driving, sports, playing musical instruments and surgical procedure."
Abstract The paper examines research involving repressed and recovered memory. The writer begins by pointing out the issues and controversies that the psychiatric community is currently facing. The paper defines repressed memory and recovered memory as a "defense mechanism whereby our thoughts are pulled out of our conscious and into our unconscious".
Contents:
Introduction
Definition of Repressed Memory and Recovered Memory Issues and controversy
Research
Conclusion
From the Paper "Recovered Memories are memories that have been repressed and are recovered at some later date. Often times the event is not recovered until years after it has occurred. According to an article, published by Elsevier Science, recovered memory is not a new phenomenon. (Sivers et al 2002) In fact, it was first discovered during the early twentieth century. The article also explains that there are two schools of thought on the topic of recovered memory. The first school of thought asserts that memories of traumatic events can be repressed and recovered and that the recovered memories can be accurate and clear. The second school of thought asserts that adults with problems simply use the theory of repressed memory to make excuses for their dysfunctional lives."
Abstract This paper focuses on the study of repressed memory, examining what triggers repressed memories, how recall is shaped and psychological concepts of Freud and how they related to the topic of repressed memories. Several research studies regarding repressed memory are also examined and discussed.
From the Paper "Memory is a cognitive function or process by means of which information and or experiences are catalogued, stored, associated and ultimately retrieved. A field that has gained significance in recent years is that of so-called repressed memories or memories generally of a past trauma of some sort that are recalled in the event of some specific trigger stimulus or cue. The notion that memories are often repressed to the point of no recall absent such triggers is traced to the work of Sigmund..."
Abstract This paper presents an overview of memory and the different types of memory and then takes a look at the relationship between memory and academic achievement. The paper also describes tests used to measure memory and learning.
From the Paper "This literature review, concerning the topic of the relationship between memory and academic achievement, addresses the following areas relevant to this study: history and overview of memory, different types of memory, memory and academic achievement, tests to measure memory and learning and a conclusion. Baddeley reported that whether memory needs to be regarded as a single system or two or more subsystems was a major controversy during the..."
Abstract This paper explains how the human memory works and includes detailed information about the complexity and the exact organs of the brain and how these organs affect memory. Included are the differences between long term and short term memory and tips on how to remember information more efficiently.
From the Paper "Perhaps the most important thing scientists have found is that there is no single memory system in the brain. Instead, human memory is divided into at least two broad categories. These can be affected by disease, injury or aging. The first on is explicit memory. Explicit memory is the system that stores concrete knowledge like faces, names, and multiplication facts. This is the knowledge that a person can call up consciously. Implicit memory is the way the brain stores information that isn?t assimilated or called up consciously.(Colliers Encyclopedia CD-ROM) Examples of this are shooting a basketball or stopping a car."
