In the video, Elizabeth Loftus discussed the ramifications of false memories like faulty eye witness testimony, repressed memories, and suggestibility. An underlying theme with those issues stems from our cognitive abilities – when we are confronted with a question that we cannot answer, especially as it is related to a previous experience, our brain works hard to manage the chaos associated with the unknown and sifts through all that we know in order to fill in the gaps and find a suitable answer, at the risk of being inaccurate or sometimes flat out wrong.
First, watch the video posted above. For this discussion, please consider the cultural biases (stereotypes about age, gender, race, etc.) that can contribute to the issues associated with false memories, such as faulty eye witness testimony and repressed memories. In 200-250 words:
- Address some stereotypes that can shape or influence our memories (be sure to use scholarly sources to back up your ideas)
- How do these impact our recall of memories?
- What are the potential outcomes, positive and negative, from having these stereotypes potentially shape our memory recall?
