Human Memory: It works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events We've Experienced

I'm sure we have all had that one event that has made such an impression on us we know we will NEVER forget it, right? Well, we may not all be as right as we thought. Another myth that has been debunked is that our memory does not work like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera when we are trying to recall an event we have experienced. (Lilienfeld, Lynn, Rscio, Beyerstein, 2010, pg 65) This is an important myth because almost every day we are recalling events that have happened in the past. If we recall them wrong, or not as accurate as we thought, they we are providing misinformation and getting our facts mixed up. Now has anyone ever heard a story from Mom or Dad or another family member or friend about an event they will never forget? Well of course we have all heard stories like that. Now has anyone heard a story about a particular group of people that really made mom or dad upset? Most times when we hear a story that really upsets our loved ones we tend to side with them and form a prejudice towards the group that upset our loved one.

Now of course we all want to remember special events in our life. Well, if you want to remember your wedding day, because it brought you happiness and great feelings, chances are, you are likely to hold on to that memory for longer than if you had had a terrible day. People who are victims of an unkind act tend to forget the act quicker than those of a kind act. (Li, King King, 2012) Okay so we tend to forget unkind acts quicker than kind acts. That's great, right? Well, according to Nancy Shute, our memory pushes out the old events and replaces them with recent events. Lets so your Father has a great experience with a certain group of people and has nothing but nice things to say about them. That memory will likely last for awhile. That is until he has a bad experience and it then replaces the prior event. (Shute, 2014) 

Northwestern University did a study where they asked 17 people to look at a picture of certain scenery such as beaches or farms, with a small object placed on them in a certain spot. They were then shown the scene with the object in a new location. After seeing the scene with the object in two different spots they were asked to place the object back in the first place. They always got it wrong. (Shute, 2014) This is because our memory gets overwritten with what is happening most recently. So if our family has a bad experience with a certain group of people and then relays that experience to us, we may join in on their feelings, just because we care about them and we hate to see them so upset.

How many of us have said something mean about a group of people just because that is how our family feels? We are displaying prejudice which is "prejudgement". It is an unjustifiable and most times negative attitude towards a group. (Myers, 2014, pg 510) We need to think back on any times we may have displayed prejudice and think if we did it for our own reasons or because of something someone told us. Also, going forward, we need to keep in mind that if someone is recalling an event, they may not be recalling it 100% accurately so don't jump to conclusions.

References:

Li, King King (2012) Asymmetric memory recall of positive and negative events in social interactions. Experimental Economics Vol 16(3) Retrieved from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.westminstercollege.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=39&sid=9055f86f-cc16-46dc-a92d-05fecec673b8%40sessionmgr114&hid=116&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=psyh&AN=2013-28805-002

Shute, Nancy (Feb 05, 2014) Our Brains Rewrite Our Memories, Putting Present in the Past Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/04/271527934/our-brains-rewrite-our-memories-putting-present-in-the-past

Lilienfeld, S.O., Lynn, S.J., Ruscio, J, & Beyerstein, B.L (2010) 50 Great Myths Of Popular Psychology 

Myers, David G (2014) Exploring Psychology in Modules