Buying Someone Else's Memories
The Independent
reports on studies of "memory morphing", the advertising industry's methods for influencing--sometimes dramatically--the memories that people form about past events. In one study, Elizabeth Zaltman, a former professor of psych at the University of Washington investigated the potential effects of advertising campaigns that rely on nostalgic, such as Disney's "Remember the Magic":
She reported an experiment in which people were shown an advert suggesting that children who visited Disneyland had the opportunity to shake hands with Bugs Bunny. Later, many of those who had seen the advert "remembered" meeting Bugs on childhood visits to the theme park, a feat that would have been impossible, given that the cartoon is a Warner Brothers character.
Or more directly,
Earlier this year, other American psychologists announced research findings to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, showing the ease with which false memories can be implanted in people's minds. In a test by the cognitive psychologist Kathryn Braun-LaTour, a colleague of Zaltman's, participants were served an unpleasant-tasting orange drink spiked with salt and vinegar. They were then shown adverts suggesting the drink was refreshing. Sure enough, many of the participants later reported that they had found the drink refreshing.
In a case of wild understatement, Loftus commented, "This brings forth ethical considerations. Is it OK for marketers to knowingly manipulate consumers' pasts?"
[Via
Blackbelt Jones Work]
Posted by johndan at October 21, 2003 06:01 PM
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