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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: Why social pressure causes people to form false memories Reminiscing with friends about the good old days may be fun, but it's unlikely to be accurate. Social pressure when recalling a shared event with somebody else who was also there causes false memories to be formed, according to scientists. People regularly replace their stored memory with the one that is recounted by a friend, a study claims. Scroll down for video Study: Social pressure when recalling a shared event with somebody else who was also there causes false memories to be formed Study: Social pressure when recalling a shared event with somebody else who was also there causes false memories to be formed Researchers from University College London arranged for volunteers to watch a documentary film in small groups. Three days later, they returned to the lab individually to take a memory test, answering questions about the film. They were also asked how confident they were in their answers. They were later invited back to the lab to retake the test while the scientists scanned their brain activity. This time, the subjects were also given a 'lifeline' - the supposed answers of the others in their film viewing group, along with social media-style photos. More... Mind-reading scientists predict what a person is going to do before they do it How three-month-old babies recognise human voices and can work out when someone is sad Planted among these were false answers to questions the volunteers had previously answered correctly and confidently. The participants conformed to the group on these 'planted' responses, giving incorrect answers nearly 70 per cent of the time. But were they simply conforming to perceived social demands, or had their memory of the film actually undergone a change? To find out, the researchers invited the subjects back to the lab to take the memory test once again, telling them that the answers they had previously been fed were not those of their fellow film watchers, but random computer generations. Social reinforcement could act on the amygdala to persuade our brains to replace a strong memory with a false one Some of the responses reverted back to the original, correct ones, but close to half remained erroneous, implying that the subjects were relying on false memories implanted in the earlier session. An analysis of the brain scan data showed differences in brain activity between the persistent false memories and the temporary errors of social compliance. The most outstanding feature of the false memories was a strong co-activation and connectivity between two brain areas - the hippocampus and the amygdala. The hippocampus is known to play a role in long-term memory formation, while the amygdala, sometimes known as the emotion centre of the brain, plays a role in social interaction. The scientists think that the amygdala may act as a gateway connecting the social and memory processing parts of our brain. Its 'stamp' may be needed for some types of memories, giving them approval to be uploaded to the memory banks. Thus social reinforcement could act on the amygdala to persuade our brains to replace a strong memory with a false one. The study appears in the journal Science. Here's what readers have had to say so far. Due to the mass media, truth then is finished before it gets onto the starting blocks. - Odysseus G. Osborne, Boise, Idaho, USA Rating 3 This seems to explain why facts are so often replaced with a fiction that suits the currently fashionable or pevailing theory, even in so-called historical and research records. Helen Norich Rating 3 This is similar to what happens to witnesses of any events such as a crime or accident.which is why most emergency services and other professional groups have notebooks or documentation with date/time who,what,when,where,why is often used with how.Even recording first aid accidents.All because people get caught off guard in the heat of the moment. - Edward Lozenge, England., Rating 6 This is a very interesting article. On quite a few occasions I have overheard people recounting the past where I thought that they were not presenting the truth. Although not wildly off the mark there were enough differences for me to question myself. In one case my husband's memory was of something we had considered doing in response to a situation but we did not actually follow through whereas he presented it as having happened. However, the situations were ones where the people are unlikely to have been influenced by other people. I do understand that everyone has their own version of the truth' but I find it difficult to understand how matters of fact, rather than opinion, have been changed. - Dee, Coventry, Rating 5 Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/scien...mories.html#ixzz1RUTXYxiL
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