Julia Packard Psych 1010 Pseudomemories: The Imaginary Mind The brain is perhaps one of the most fascinating

aspects of psychology. Something with such a capability to control the necessary functions of a body, to learn, to remember, and recall those memories later on. But how can such a perfect system exist without flaw? There is reason to believe that it cant. One of the greatest arguments throughout the evolution of psychology was the debate of mind versus body and whether they are intertwined: dualism and monism. And while it is clear that the body is dependent on the brain, I believe that not all of the secrets that the mind holds come from the outside. A perfect example of lack of connection is the creation of pseudomemories. As memory researchers have discovered, the hippocampus and frontal cortex are able to encode sights, sounds, smells, and sensations into memories that are then stored in the brain. How is it that humans can recall something that they have never actually experienced? Well, we cant be sure. I take such great interest in memory distortion because it is something that I have experienced, and something that I fear. Even scarier is the vividness of these false memories; they are by no means vague as one may expect. Perhaps its the combination of actual memories with suggestions, perhaps they are solely a result of source misattribution, or contributing a recollection to the wrong source. By not remembering where a memory came from, you believe may it to be true. Although I dont think that Ive experienced it to the extent that it exists, my experience with pseudomemory has come primarily from being interrogated about a situation, overthinking it, and then creating memories. Perhaps what Ive experienced are just inaccurate memories. Aside from interrogation in personal situations, or even self interrogation, there is a bigger

canvas that false memories come into play. There have been criminal cases in which it is believed the suspects memory of the crime were false; a case in which the course of interrogation included suggestions of guilt; you took the knife, and stabbed him, didnt you? And then you dumped his body in the lake so you wouldnt get caught, isnt that right?. Another instance of pseudomemories being created is in the office of a psychotherapist. Techniques such as hypnotism, which are thought to resurface blocked memories, have been proven to sometimes create false memories. Imagine convincing yourself that a loved one had molested you as a child, and the damaging effects of something that never really existed. While pseudomemories are something very real, they are also something very uncertain. While studies have been done to prove its validity, there is still no explanation of how or why pseudomemories happen. I believe that even with further research, false memories are something that we may never completely understand.