In class we discussed how it is very possible to implement a memory into someone else’s mind simply by suggesting that the event occurred. The example given was that of a young boy being lost in a mall and getting help from an old man. When the discussion of the event came up in conversation AFTER the false memory was fed, the subject began recalling details of the event such as what store he got lost in, what the old man was wearing, even adding in that he wore glasses and was balding on top.

This phenomenon is known as memory implementing, I was so fascinated to learn about this in class and finally put a name to what I know I have been a part of. I’m not sure if dreams apply to this concept or not but I also sometimes personally dream of memories that seem so real and later in the future I tend to confuse the memory of the dream with whether I was recalling a dream or an actual event that occurred in my life.

Anyways back to memory implementing… I wanted to give this a try over spring break on my little sister she is 16. I recruited the help of my brother on this one and we began to reminisce about vacations we took growing up my sister chimed in on all the places we were remembering such as going to OC in the summer for a week with just my mom, traveling to Miami by car from Maryland and to NYC over Christmas time to see the lighting of the tree in Times Square in the city. When we brought up the false memory of going to Kings Dominion and witnessing a fight go down between another patron and someone working at the 3d theatre my sister looked puzzled. I told her she was probably about 7 at the time and that I walked her out of the theatre to protect her when all this started to happen…

On my last day home yesterday I was talking to my best friend Emily in my room while my sister was around to see if she “remembered” the time when we went to Kings Dominion. Emily started laughing with me and my sister came into the room from the hall giggling too and saying how she remembered seeing the lady from the audience “jump up and cuss” at the lady who worked there, lol my sister said she remembered the lady calling the other lady a “bitch” out loud and that my sister looked at me scared which was when she said she recalls me standing up and taking her by the hand and escorting her out to where she would feel safe. My sister even added details like that the show we were trying to see that we ultimately missed out on was Spongebob in 3d!

Thats when the laughter really started and I showed her my psychology notes and assignment for the blog, she was intrigued and thought I was silly nonetheless. It was a success

Ox Pumba & Baloo

Classical Conditioning is the kind of learning process in which I decided to focus on and share a personal experience of my own with you. Let me first begin with defining this process, it is a way of learning that occurs when a conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that causes the subject to display an intinctive unconditioned response (UR) to the unconditioned stimulus (US).  Next, after pairing is repeated, the subject exhibits a response, the conditioned response (CR), to the CS when presented alone. Usually, the CS is a neutral stimulus (the sound of a tuning fork), the US is biologically potent (sight of food) and the UR to the US is a reflex response (salivation). The CR is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus CS. Unlike the UR, it must be obtained through experience and is comparatively temporary.

I live here in State College with my best friend; Susan, and her mom; Frances, we have three Bulldogs; Ox (3 years), Pumba (11 months), Baloo (11 months). The dogs are extremely destructive and chew anything they find. We did not intentionally mean to evoke this learned response from the dogs but it developed over time from the countless number of instances where we have caught them in the act or have just found something already destroyed. Susan and myself usually yell out “Who did it?!” (CS)  while holding up the object of question (US) and then proceed to discipline them by showing them what they did wrong and bringing them to their cage in the basement. The dogs have heard our response of saying to them “Who did it”(CS) and now if we are to say that phrase to them without presenting any sort of object, they immediately cower and drop low to the ground looking up at you as if they are about to be punished. I kind of found that to be funny, and a little sad that we may of scared them, but its also very intriguing to know that we don’t share the same language as the dogs but they sure can show you that they do understand and can be taught.