Suppressing Unwanted Memories Summary

The study of creation of false memories has been a topic of interest since the 1930s when Bartlett (1932) conducted the first experiment on the topic. Though the results of this experiment were never replicated, they contributed greatly to research by distinguishing between reproductive and reconstructive memory (Bartlett 1932 as cited in Roediger & McDermott, 1995). Reproductive memory refers to accurate production of material from memory and is assumed to be associated with remembering simplified materials (e.g., lists). Reconstructive memory emphasizes the active process of filling in missing elements while remembering and is associated with materials rich in meaning (e.g., stories).

The article is about false memory. The researchers are trying to find out the effect of planting positive false memory in an individual. The authors of the article are; Cara Laney from University of Leicester, Erin K. Morris from University of California, Irvine, Daniel M. Bernstein from Kwantlen University College and University of Washington, Briana M. Wakefield from University of

The importance of understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms by which both memories are repressed and

Lately we were researching about electrical stimulation of the hippocampus. Some expertssaid that it causes temporary amnesia – Zapping Memories Away.

There are two prominent distortions of the episodic memory system: forgetting and the false memory effect. False memory is the propensity to report an event as part of an episodic experience that was not actually present (Holliday, Brainerd, & Reyna, 2011). Several theories give an explanation for this effect, but the most prominent one is the fuzzy trace theory,

Two structures in the brain work independently and with each other to impact memory and emotions: the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala is linked to fear-conditioning, while the hippocampus is linked to episodic memories, which are those memories that a person can recall whenever wanted [1]. An experiment was performed to demonstrate the independence of the two structures from each other which involved patients with lesions in the amygdala and patients with lesions in the hippocampus. Researchers designed a fear-condition wherein a blue patch applied to the wrist initiated a shock. They found that patients with lesions in the amygdala had no physiological response to the conditioned stimulus (the blue patch) [2], whereas patients with lesions in the hippocampus demonstrated appropriate

Do you think an experience can be so traumatizing that the brain pushes it into an inaccessible corner of the unconscious to later recall it years later? This concept on the mind is expressed as repressed memories. These are types of memories that are blocked unconsciously due to the high levels of stress experienced during the event. This theory on memories are based on the idea that even though the memory is repressed it is still affecting the individual in their conscious aspects of life. Repressed memories are often associated with childhood sexual abuse. This relies on the idea that these memories of sexual abuse can be brought up either in therapy or by the victim themselves years after the abuse. The concept of repressed memories has been a huge controversy in psychology from the beginning of time. Many people believe that repressed memories in regards to childhood sexual abuse are possible while others believe they can’t be as accurate as some people believe.

The memory part of our brain plays an important role in our everyday lives. There are a variety of problems associated with memory, some are recognizable, while others are difficult to determine. We experience some memory lapse during the day, for example, forgetting to buy milk at the grocery store or the name of the person you just met. These memory lapses are known as The Seven Sins of Memory, transience, absent-minded, blocking, suggestibility, bias, persistence, and misattribution. According to Murray, (2003), the first three are sins of omission that involve forgetting, and the second four are sins of commission that involve distorted or unwanted recollections.

As long as it is taken within 6 hours after the event, the drug is effective by disrupting the chemicals in the brain responsible for strengthening memory consolidation. So, technically speaking, drug treatments do not literally “erase” the bad memory, but rather prevents the memory from being stored into long-term memory. Today, researchers are looking further not only into whether memory-dampening drugs like propranolol can alleviate traumatic events, but also into whether they can alleviate traumatic events in the distant past (Marchione 2006), and the results are showing a lot of promise. Dr. Adam Kolber, a professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, believes that ethical dilemmas should not get in the way of giving hope to those whose memories prevent them from “reclaiming their lives (Kolber

The key to intentional forgetting is what happens when memories are retrieved. The importance of retrieval has been demonstrated in studies that compare recall and recognition memory tasks. Success on either kind of task requires that items be encoded and stored. Whereas recall tasks require active search and retrieval of a memory, recognition tests present the studied item as a direct cue to memory. That item needs only to be checked against whatever representation is stored. Because the directed forgetting eVect is strong on recall tasks but weak or absent on recognition tasks, theorists have concluded that retrieval inhibition, rather than unlearning, is key to intentional forgetting (Bjork, 1989; Geiselman, Bjork, & Fishman, 1983; but see

In this article the authors explains how stopping unwanted memories from coming into your head is similar to stopping unwanted motor response; like evading a car crash. This article describes a way that will be most beneficial to forgetting your unwanted thoughts and memories. What this means is that if you were to knock over a cup of hot coffee with your elbow accidentally and your first reaction was to try to catch the cup preventing the spill. But about halfway to almost catching the cup you realize it will be too hot so you let it fall. This is an example of being able to control your unwanted motor skills like knowing not to catch a falling hot cup. With our brains it works the same exact way with unwanted memories; stopping the thought

In conclusion, memory control is an extremely inhumane way of treatment for memory related diseases. This is supported by so-called “Deep Ignorance”, and the accidental erasing of what makes a person, a person. Although you want that embarrassing memory gone, think to yourself, “At what

The two main emotional factors that influence memory and forgetting are flashbulb and repression. A flashbulb memory is a memory that has a high emotional significance they are accurate and long lasting. It is almost a photographic memory of a particularly emotional event that is imprinted on your mind. For example an event such as September the 11th, people can remember things such as how they heard it happened, what clothes they were wearing and who they were with very clearly. This is because it was such a sudden emotional impact when they heard it that it got imprinted in their memory. Repression is an emotional factor in forgetting. It is that we forget because we have great anxiety about certain memories. This is because certain

The publication began by stating the widely acceptable premise that medial temporal lobe damage results in the inability to remember new experiences soon after they are learned. They indicated that the general belief is that this occurs because the ability to remember such information becomes compromised

It also displayed that activations in certain areas of the brain, the hippocampus and the parahippocampal cortex, predicted successful source memory recollection. Furthermore, activations in the ventral tegmental area, substantia nigra, and nucleus accumbens were linked to the processes of reward and punishment. This research extends that of Li and colleagues (2016) by mapping the brain functions. This allows for research into the specific functions of the brain and allows this experiment to be visualized and, potentially, expanded to recreate these results.