Cognitive psychologists have long debated the issue of false memory, with some arguing that recall is subject to distortion and decay and others stating that false memories are rare. A study found that suggestive interviewing techniques prompt individuals to report false memories, thus lending credence to the former camp.
Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., an expert on memory and professor of social ecology at the University of California at Irvine, planted false memories in subjects' minds, causing them to later recall having kissed frogs or witnessed a demonic possession, among other unlikely events.
Loftus asked subjects to perform ordinary actions, such as flipping a coin, as well as unusual actions, such as crushing chocolate with a dental floss container. The next day, subjects were asked to imagine performing additional actions, such as kissing a frog, and were prompted to imagine the color and feel of the animal. After later asking if they remembered kissing the frog or performing other imagined acts, Loftus and her team found that 15 percent of volunteers said they did.
