Implanting False Memories

It’s surprisingly easy to make someone believe they’ve committed a crime that never happened.

Dr Julia Shaw’s forthcoming book on the science of memory hacking, "The Memory Illusion," will be available starting June 2nd from Penguin Random House.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Director of Photography
Jason Longo

Producer & Editor
Ari Daniel

Original Footage
© WGBH Educational Foundation 2016

MEDIA CREDITS

Music
APM

Experiment Footage
Julia Shaw

[JosephMFaulkner]

I want a therapist to implant me with a false memory of a vacation in Hawaii that I cannot afford.

[IThanatopsisI]

This sounds like an interrogation technique when hard evidence is lacking, circumstantial is the best at hand and prosecutors want to build the strongest case by having defendants self-incriminate by concocting events and details that never happened

[TaylorMade]

My sister implants false memories into herself; all the time.

[BlueAmpharos]

So did they tell them at the end that it didn't actually happen like that, or are they going through the rest of their lives thinking this stressful event actually happened?

[lilwinged]

These people should be in prison.. I had a pastor's wife who had a psychology degree do this to me and then created multiple personalities that lasted about 5 mos .. I'm upset watching this and I wish she'd get in trouble.

[mikebasil]

I think that a dream last night about a crime that never happened was meant to teach me about the full potential of false memories.

[dn]

What if they're just lying because of that "social pressure", making it all up and not really believing what they say? Yes I don't know much about this, but that's what I thought

[mosslimbayter]

My sister moved across the country 30 years ago and I haven't seen or spoken to her more than an hour in those years. Several days ago she texted the entire family that 'Moss raped me when I was 4". She went on to say my 2 younger brothers and our father went into her bedroom and raped her "every fucking day".

She didn't consider that when she was 4, I was 9 and the 2 brothers were 7 and 5 1/2. So the "remembered" rapes were not possible.

Neither did she ever have medical attention which I would guess a 4 year old would need if raped by an adult.

Nor did she consider that for the first 10 years she shared a bedroom with a sister (who says there was no sexual misbehaving), or that their bedroom shared a wall with our parents bedroom.

I was so angry I considered laying libel charges against her and/or suing her for libel but I haven't responded to her or anyone else. She seems convinced this happened, so should I ignore everything, or respond to her, or press charges, or get a restraining order. She is a virtual stranger so I have no reservations about taking her to court and suing her into poverty.

[underappreciatedsoundtrack]

Alright, I admit it, this is scary. They had better keep a carbon nanotube-titanium tough grip on this. Very attractive scientist, by the way. Cool how it works out that there are people who could actually play a character in a science fiction movie who does what they do.

[deborahm]

Um, how is this legal? This is horrible. Why are they "teaching" us this? If someone did this to me and then told me "oh it was a joke and I was doing an experiment" I would not trust them ever again.

[michaelwinter]

This totally reminds me of this time I went on Nova with false memories....

[LFOVCF]

This is just good old fashioned hypnotic phenomena. Getting them to close their eyes and concentrate, then using suppositions and suggestions. Simple stuff really, but nothing new.

[Nehmo]

I confess. Where do I sign. And can I have another session with the doctor, please?

[chippedpaintrecords]

This is just hypnosis. I have enough experience listening to hypnosis tapes to go to sleep when I was younger to recognize hypnotic suggestions and when an idea is trying to be implanted in my head. I doubt this would work on me.

[trashboat]

This would've made Inception SO MUCH easier

[gogomagog]

I have friends who have experimented with heavy psychedelic drugs (DMT) and come away from the session with very strange revelations about suddenly remembering childhood experiences like alien abduction and satanic cult abuse. You should maybe consider the exploitation of profound psychedelic experiences under unscrupulous “sitters” as one of the methods of implanting false memories because.... my friends got brainwashed while vulnerable... I think it’s pretty obvious. I think you should look into that because more and more people are experimenting with powerful psychedelics, and while I’ve done tons and have zero weird memories... I think that there are more vulnerable individuals who are being messed with, psychologically speaking. Just a thought

[americast]

I do this in sales all the time and in about 30 minutes...

[MegadoseTheOutsiderArtist]

There is absolutely NO WAY that you could do this to me. I KNOW my past...i know the things I've done and the things i could not do. No way.

[TheWordMercy]

Why do you think "Leading the Witness" is an objectionable offense in a court of law

[hopes]

what music did you use for this video?