Publication: Valencia emocional y memorias falsas: el efecto de la valencia emocional en la certidumbre de recuerdo de memorias falsas
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2016-02-19
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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Abstract
A lo largo del día nos vemos expuestos a una multitud de estímulos. Desde el momento en el que nos despertamos hasta el minuto en el que nos vamos a dormir nuestra mente procesa miles de datos. Cuántos de estos datos retenemos en nuestra memoria y cuántos son desechados es aún un acertijo por resolver. El motivo por el que no se puede saber con plena certeza qué forma parte de nuestro inconsciente, se debe a que hay una diferencia entre el proceso de codificación de información y el acceso y recuperación de la misma. Si bien mucha información puede ser codificada, esto no significa que tengamos pleno acceso a ella. El estudio de información a la cual no se tiene acceso no es posible, pero el estudio de un fenómeno semejante y contrario si lo es: el “recuerdo” de información que no ha sido codificada. Este fenómeno, denominado “memorias falsas”, nos ocurre a todos. Más de una vez damos por conocidos estímulos a los que realmente nunca hemos sido expuestos. De hecho, no sólo declaramos estímulos nuevos como viejos, sino que a veces incluso lo hacemos con un alto grado de confianza. Un factor que influye fuertemente en la codificación o no de un recuerdo, es la valencia emocional. Está demostrado que aquellos estímulos con una valencia emocional positiva o negativa suelen ser más fácilmente codificados y recordados. Aun así, son susceptibles tanto de ser codificados y no recordados, como de ser recordados a pesar de nunca haber sido codificados. Si bien a diario las memorias falsas suelen ser irrelevantes (e.g., creer haber oído una canción antes), muchas veces declarar memorias falsas como verdaderas puede tener consecuencias de peso (e.g., en un juicio por homicidio). Así mismo, la salud mental se puede medir en un espectro de que tan bien recordamos ciertos aspectos de nuestra vida. Recordar con un alto nivel de confianza eventos que nunca se han llevado a cabo puede ser un indicador de patología mental...
We are daily surrounded by thousands of stimuli of all kind. Since the first moment we open our eyes in the morning, until the instant we closed them at night, our brains process thousands of pieces of new information. How much of these stimuli are retained in our minds and how much of it is forgotten is still a mystery to uncover. The reason why we have no certainty of how much of this information actually has a home in our unconsciousness is because there is a difference between the codification process of information, and the access and remembrance of it. There are two possible reasons for not to remember something: (1) we codified the information but have no access to it; (2) we never codified the information and therefore it is not stored in our unconsciousness. The study of information we have no access to, is impossible. Nevertheless, it is possible to study a similar memory phenomenon by targeting the contrary effect: the reminiscence of information that was never codified. This phenomenon called “false memories” is common and can be observed regularly in the daily life of an average person. More than once we assume to be familiar with or know information of stimuli that we have never actually been exposed to. In fact, we don’t only declare we know new stimuli we have never encountered, but we do so with a high level of confidence. Emotional valence is a factor that plays a major role in whether we codify a memory or not. Scientific studies have extensively demonstrated that stimuli of positive or negative valance are easily encoded and remembered. However, this is not a guarantee that emotional stimuli are infallible to forget or be recognized as recollected when we’ve never been exposed to them. In a daily basis false memories have little to no relevance (e.g. having heard a song before), yet there are scenarios where this deceptive perception of memory can have a deep impact (e.g., during the testimony of a murder trial). Also, mental health can be measured in a spectrum of how well we remember aspects and details of our life. Declaring we remember things that never occurred with a high level of confidence can be a sign of mental illness. The motivation behind this thesis is to expand our knowledge of when and how the phenomenon of false memories occurs which would allow us to identify false memories with precision and help us avoid them. This ability would be useful both in mental illness treatments and future legal implications...
We are daily surrounded by thousands of stimuli of all kind. Since the first moment we open our eyes in the morning, until the instant we closed them at night, our brains process thousands of pieces of new information. How much of these stimuli are retained in our minds and how much of it is forgotten is still a mystery to uncover. The reason why we have no certainty of how much of this information actually has a home in our unconsciousness is because there is a difference between the codification process of information, and the access and remembrance of it. There are two possible reasons for not to remember something: (1) we codified the information but have no access to it; (2) we never codified the information and therefore it is not stored in our unconsciousness. The study of information we have no access to, is impossible. Nevertheless, it is possible to study a similar memory phenomenon by targeting the contrary effect: the reminiscence of information that was never codified. This phenomenon called “false memories” is common and can be observed regularly in the daily life of an average person. More than once we assume to be familiar with or know information of stimuli that we have never actually been exposed to. In fact, we don’t only declare we know new stimuli we have never encountered, but we do so with a high level of confidence. Emotional valence is a factor that plays a major role in whether we codify a memory or not. Scientific studies have extensively demonstrated that stimuli of positive or negative valance are easily encoded and remembered. However, this is not a guarantee that emotional stimuli are infallible to forget or be recognized as recollected when we’ve never been exposed to them. In a daily basis false memories have little to no relevance (e.g. having heard a song before), yet there are scenarios where this deceptive perception of memory can have a deep impact (e.g., during the testimony of a murder trial). Also, mental health can be measured in a spectrum of how well we remember aspects and details of our life. Declaring we remember things that never occurred with a high level of confidence can be a sign of mental illness. The motivation behind this thesis is to expand our knowledge of when and how the phenomenon of false memories occurs which would allow us to identify false memories with precision and help us avoid them. This ability would be useful both in mental illness treatments and future legal implications...
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Tesis inédita de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Psicología Básica II (Procesos Cognitivos), leída el 18-12-2015