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Published on: June 14, 2019
Misinformation can influence memory for recently experienced, highly stressful events.
C A Morgan1, Steven Southwick, George Steffian
1Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, United States. charles.a.morgan@yale.edu
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
|December 11, 2012
Summary
Even highly trained individuals can have their memories distorted by misinformation. This study shows that stressful event memories are vulnerable to false information, impacting recall of details and suspect identification.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
- Military Psychology
Background:
- Extensive research indicates misinformation distorts memory for experienced events.
- The impact of misinformation on memory for stressful, personally relevant events remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of misinformation on memory for a highly stressful, personally relevant event.
- To assess the vulnerability of memory to misinformation in military personnel undergoing Survival School training.
Main Methods:
- Over 800 military personnel in a mock Prisoner of War (POW) camp setting participated.
- Misinformation, including misleading photographs, was introduced after the stressful event.
- Memory recall for event details and identification accuracy of an interrogator were assessed.
Main Results:
- Exposure to misinformation significantly altered memory for event details, such as the presence of glasses or weapons.
- Misinformation also impaired the accuracy of identifying an aggressive interrogator.
- Over 50% of subjects in some conditions falsely identified a different individual as the interrogator.
Conclusions:
- Memories for stressful events are highly susceptible to modification by misinformation.
- Even individuals with extensive training may be vulnerable to memory distortions from false information.
- These findings highlight the fragility of eyewitness memory in high-stress situations.
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