About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about false memories, focusing in particular on: (i) the analogy that memory is more like a Wikipedia page than a recording device; (ii) the reconstructive nature of memory ‘shedding’ details as an evolutionary function to allow for decision making and avoid being overwhelmed with information; (iii) anecdotal and research examples of implanting false memories; (iv) Loftus and Palmer’s research into the effects of leading questions and vocabulary on memory; (v) research on the successful implanting of false memories of both plausible and implausible events; (vi) the fact that it is possible to acquire Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from a memory of an event that never happened; (vii) Elizabeth Loftus as a central figure in the research on false memories.

About the lecturer

Dr Evelyn Svingen is Assistant Professor of Criminology in the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham. Dr Svingen’s research interests are in the biosocial mechanisms of the aetiology of crime. Some of Dr Svingen’s recent publications include ‘A case for evolutionary criminology: Introducing the retribution and reciprocity model’ (2023) and ‘PTSD and crime propensity: Stress systems, brain structures, and the nature of the relationship’ (2023).