Knowing good and evil
Viewing a person as dishonest or immoral can distort memory, a Cornell study suggests. So much so, that when we attempt to recall that person's behavior, it seems to be worse than it really was.
Psychology Professor David Pizarro, at Banfi's Restaurant on campus, found that people who read about a man who walked out on a restaurant bill remember the bill as much higher if they're told he liked to steal; people who thought he left because of an emergency remember a significantly lower bill.
Previous studies have found that leading questions can influence memory of an incident, and that thinking that someone is good (or bad) in one area tends to influence judgments about them in other areas.
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The power of expectation. The power of belief. Psychological set. A minor matter in this case. But it operates in real life, too. It colors what you think about yourself and about the people around you. It affects what you do. And what you don’t do.
People who don’t understand these effects are likely to attribute them the “the subconscious mind.” They may assume that there is nothing to be done about the effects. People who do understand the effects recognize them as the crude work of the talking modules. They activate the Vulcan fuzzy phrase warning.
Now try another memory test. In the King James Version of the Bible, Genesis, Chapter 3, there is a story about Adam and Eve in the garden. There is a tree, a serpent, and a fruit that gets eaten. What was that fruit and what was the effect of eating it?
Most people will have read or heard about this story. Religious people, I suppose, will have read it carefully, since it has major theological implications.
You can check your memory at this site. Read verse 5 carefully. Ask yourself whether your influenced your memory. Read verse 5 again. Ask yourself whether your expectations are making it hard for you to understand this sentence.
For added amusement, ask other people the questions above. See if their memory is also affected by knowing good and evil.
Psychology Professor David Pizarro, at Banfi's Restaurant on campus, found that people who read about a man who walked out on a restaurant bill remember the bill as much higher if they're told he liked to steal; people who thought he left because of an emergency remember a significantly lower bill.
Previous studies have found that leading questions can influence memory of an incident, and that thinking that someone is good (or bad) in one area tends to influence judgments about them in other areas.
---
The power of expectation. The power of belief. Psychological set. A minor matter in this case. But it operates in real life, too. It colors what you think about yourself and about the people around you. It affects what you do. And what you don’t do.
People who don’t understand these effects are likely to attribute them the “the subconscious mind.” They may assume that there is nothing to be done about the effects. People who do understand the effects recognize them as the crude work of the talking modules. They activate the Vulcan fuzzy phrase warning.
Now try another memory test. In the King James Version of the Bible, Genesis, Chapter 3, there is a story about Adam and Eve in the garden. There is a tree, a serpent, and a fruit that gets eaten. What was that fruit and what was the effect of eating it?
Most people will have read or heard about this story. Religious people, I suppose, will have read it carefully, since it has major theological implications.
You can check your memory at this site. Read verse 5 carefully. Ask yourself whether your influenced your memory. Read verse 5 again. Ask yourself whether your expectations are making it hard for you to understand this sentence.
For added amusement, ask other people the questions above. See if their memory is also affected by knowing good and evil.
posted by Selby Evans at 10:52 AM
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