WOK: Memory

Knowledge Question: To what extent can memory be manipulated by people or time?

RLS: Titus, an innocent man, was convicted of raping because of one’s false memory.

We tend to think that our eyes work like a camera, and our brain records the images captured, which form our memories. And we tend to believe our memories are definitely true and can be used as a reliable source. However, according to Elizabeth Loftus, a psychologist who studies false memory, it’s not always the case that our memories tell us the correct information. In fact, memory could be manipulated by people or time. In her example, the female victim was first given several photos of suspects, and she pointed at Titus’s photo and said, “That might be the one”. However, in the later months, she claimed, “I am absolutely sure that’s the one”. As you can see, her memory have changed over time. A long period of time has caused her memory to become less clear. Also, her memory was manipulated by the events happened after the crime. Her incorrect memory is formed when the first time she was given the photo of Titus. When she saw Titus’s photo, she had stored a memory in her brain of Titus’s face. As time goes, her memories started getting into each other, which then formed her false memory. If she was not given Titus’s photo at the beginning, I believe the the tragedy of Titus would not happen.

We shouldn’t fully believe our memories, since sometimes they don’t tell us the truth. Sometimes, they can even be manipulated to a great extent, like the situation of Titus’s unjust case.

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