Anecdotal Evidence

[downbeatplumb]

People recall events that never happened.

http://atheistforums.org/thread-45573-pa...=anecdotal

This has been tested in labs.

The team at the University of Warwick found that as many as 50% of us are completely willing to accept memories being told to us, that never (ever) happened. 
In the study, participants were repeatedly ‘reminded’ of things that happened in the past - including taking a hot air balloon ride as a child, playing a prank on a school teacher, and causing chaos at a family wedding. 
Despite these situations being made up by the researchers in a laboratory, 30% of people involved in the study appeared to ‘remember’ the event - not only accepting it but going on to elaborate on details and describe the scene.
Then a further 23% of people accepted it to some degree, agreeing that it had happened to them. 
Although this has implications on an individual level, it spells bigger problems for society as a whole, as memory is widely taken as law in court rooms and forensic investigations. 
Not only that, but if people are subjected to misinformation in the news about certain events, this can lead to widespread false memory.The team at the University of Warwick found that as many as 50% of us are completely willing to accept memories being told to us, that never (ever) happened. 
In the study, participants were repeatedly ‘reminded’ of things that happened in the past - including taking a hot air balloon ride as a child, playing a prank on a school teacher, and causing chaos at a family wedding. 
Despite these situations being made up by the researchers in a laboratory, 30% of people involved in the study appeared to ‘remember’ the event - not only accepting it but going on to elaborate on details and describe the scene.
Then a further 23% of people accepted it to some degree, agreeing that it had happened to them. 
Although this has implications on an individual level, it spells bigger problems for society as a whole, as memory is widely taken as law in court rooms and forensic investigations. 
Not only that, but if people are subjected to misinformation in the news about certain events, this can lead to widespread false memory.