Loftus, E. (1997). Creating False Memories. In Myers, D. G. (Ed.

), Scientific American

psychology reader. (pp. 54-59). New York: Worth

There have been several judicial cases throughout history in which patients received

misinformation from psychiatrists or counselors and in turn began to remember horrific false

memories. In the article, Creating False Memories, Elizabeth Loftus seeks to present several

studies that support the theory that pseudo-memories, imaginative inflation, and impossible

memories can be stimulated through the application of inaccurate suggestions from others, as

well as explain the origination and application of these false memories in todays world.

There have been several psychological studies conducted with the purpose of studying

the effect of strategically implanting inaccurate childhood memories and an individuals ability

to accurately discern that false information. Both Loftus et. al. and Ira Hyman et. al. found that

prior to receiving misinformation participants did not report to remembering the fictitious events.

However, when presented with false retrieval cues, 20%-30% of the participants reported to

remember aspects of the false scenarios. The finding that memories can be experimentally

implanted, lead Loftus and colleagues to expand their study to the effect of imagination

inflation on the generation of false memories. It was found that when a hypothetical event was

imagined, patients were more likely to remember experiencing that false event in later

interviews. It was also found by Nicholas Spanos that misinformation can also cause an

individual to remember an impossible memory, such as a memory from infancy.

Conclusively, the better understanding the plasticity of memories due to source confusion

highlights the precautions that should be taken by mental health professionals and law

enforcement officials when acquiring information from individuals.

 Much of our behavior is influenced by ethicality. However, there is no singular definition

of what is ethical. In recent times, there has been a large push to evaluate the ethicality of the

American judicial system, with particular concern about the disproportionally high amount of

minority individuals in prison as compared to non-Hispanic whites. Under the Common Good

approach to ethics, ethicality is the pursuit of common goods and values by community

members. Thus, under this system it is our ethical duty to provide effective public safety to

citizens and have a just legal system. It is ethical under this system for judicial officials to use

Bureau of Justice Statics to offer longer sentences to minority and lower income persons because

it was found that they are more likely to be second time offenders (providing the common good

of public safety). Furthermore, when interrogating individuals, it would be ethical to discuss

neighborhood demographics. However, when law officials take advantage of this data and

actively pursue the arrest and imprisonment of individuals in these populations, is when the

unethical line is breeched. When interrogating individuals, it is against the common good

approach to intimidate individuals with statements about longer prisons sentences (unless they

plead guilty), or to discuss a persons home environment, ethnicity, or education level. This

information could potentially cause the interrogator to become more stereotypical and promote

coercion of a false confession. This is the bounds of an unjust legal system.

In the application of the Fairness Approach to ethics, individuals should be treated

equally, unless morally relevant differences arise. This means that when interrogating

individuals, officers should not use any statistical data or generalizations when questioning

individuals. Nor should the topics of income, race, education level, home environment, or any

other information that could cause discrimination, be discussed because it would be unethical.

This approach would be difficult to apply because some prejudices are unconscious and quotas
have to be met in many police departments. However, if it were possible to apply this approach, I

think that this method would prevent the unjust imprisonment of a large number of men and

women in this country.