¶ … Misattribution Creation of New Memories
Primary source: single paragraph on source misattribution
The 1989 article "Misinformation and memory: The creation of new memories" by Elizabeth F. Loftus and Hunter G. Hoffman discusses a commonly-observed phenomenon in memory research, namely that new, erroneous memories can be created with misinformation. This misinformation can impair or replace the original, accurate memory as well as be accepted as a 'real' memory when no such memory exists. One theory to explain this is source misattribution when there is confusion over the source of origin of a memory. Talking about a screwdriver leads us to think we saw the screwdriver with our own eyes. However, biologically-oriented psychologists note that the mechanism of synaptic changes related to memory is poorly understood. It is uncertain if misremembering involves actual memory loss and replacement (Loftus & Hoffman 102). One further question related to source misattribution, not specifically discussed in the article, is whether different types of 'misremembering' call into play different cognitive mechanisms. For example, in witness identification, subjects are more likely to misidentify subjects not of their own race. According to the Innocence Project at the Cardozo School of Law, eyewitness misidentification "has played a significant role in over 75% of the more than 230 exonerations that have occurred to date based on DNA evidence...73% of individuals wrongfully convicted of rape and exonerated between 1989 and 2007 were Black or Hispanic, while 37% of all inmates serving sentences for rape in 2003 were minorities" (Eyewitness identification, 2011, Kentucky: Department of Public Advocacy). This high rate of misidentification of minorities may be rooted in the suggestions in the media that minorities are more apt to commit crimes. The extent to which certain memories may be more pliable than others is an important area for future research, particularly given its potential impact upon the justice system.
References
Eyewitness identification. (2011). Kentucky: Department of Public Advocacy.
Retrieved December 8, 2011 athttp://dpa.ky.gov/kip/mew.htm
Loftus, Elizabeth F. & Hunter G. Hoffman. (1989). Misinformation and memory: The creation of new memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 118 (1): 100-104
