Essay on Memory Contamination and its Psychological Implications

This essay examines the concept of memory contamination, arguing that memories are not perfect recordings of past events but are subject to distortion and alteration over time. It references Elizabeth Loftus's work and uses the case of Clive Wearing, a man with severe amnesia, to illustrate the profound impact of memory on our identity and daily lives. The essay discusses how factors such as context, importance, and the passage of time can influence memory recall, leading to flawed recollections. It also explores the implications of memory contamination in the context of criminal justice, particularly concerning eyewitness accounts and the misinformation effect, and the case of Penny Beernsten. The essay emphasizes the importance of proper interviewing techniques by law enforcement to minimize the risk of memory distortion and ensure accurate recollections, advocating for interviews soon after the event, with minimal influence from third parties.

Running Head: PERSPECTIVES ON MEMORY CONTAMINATION 1
Title: Perspectives on Memory Contamination
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PERSPECTIVES ON MEMORY CONTAMINATION 2
Perspectives on Memory Contamination
As Elizabeth Loftus says, our memories are not a mirror or an accurate record of past events.
Rather, they are our perception of it. We perceive things differently, based on circumstances,
such as the context, in which the memory forms, and its importance, as well as time passage.
Over time, other memories may affect the original memory, leading to a flawed recollection of
past events.
Our memories make us. This is clear in the case of Clive Wearing. While his illness did little
harm to his other bodily functions, his inability to access past memories, and create new ones,
effectively destroyed his life. While he could still conduct music concerts, remember important
parts of his life such as his wife and children, and generally go about his daily chores unaided, he
could not lead a normal life anymore. The fact that he could not even remember he had suffered
such a tragic event In the first place further complicated his life. In short, he was no longer Clive
Wearing.
If memories make us, and we can hardly recollect past events accurately, the work for criminal
justice officers and legal officials is well cut out for them. In many cases, especially when
investigating crimes, officers rely on eyewitness accounts to piece together information on
events and identify perpetrators. Events such as assaults are traumatic for the victims, who have
a problem remembering what happened. When they do remember, they may not wish to be
reminded every time about such an event, or even in some unfortunate cases, interviewers may
intentionally coach their memories to implicate or exonerate particular individuals of interest.
The distortion of memories may be termed as the misinformation effect. It may also be the case
of false memories, created due to imagination and present events, and urged on by others. As the

PERSPECTIVES ON MEMORY CONTAMINATION 3
story of Penny Beernsten suggests, this presents problems for law enforcers. Penny was unable to
accurately identify her assailant, a fact that led, or could have led to a serious injustice
(Tolchinsky, 2019). In many cases like this, the victim is the only person who can identify the
perpetrator. Often, also, the victim is under extreme stress during the event, and subsequently
learns new information regarding the incident. The result is garbled recollection, which cannot
be relied on to get justice.
To reduce the chances of memory contamination, it is imperative for law enforcement officials to
desist from trying to force memories out of victims or assailants. When this happens, memory
contamination most likely occurs, with negative effects for everyone. When individuals are
interviewed soon after the event, they are more likely to remember things more accurately, and
with little help from third parties.

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Reference
Tolchinsky, D. (2019, 06 25). Contaminated Memories. Retrieved from New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/opinion/memory.html