Memory: How it Works and Recovering Lost Memories

The concept of memory and what comprises memory is often controversial. Loftus (1998) cites an article reporting on the case of a woman whose family accepted a large settlement on the grounds that health care professionals planted false memories into her mind. The woman suggested that she had been persuaded to believe multiple misconceptions regarding her history via drug therapy and hypnosis. While the case cited in this story is among the first involving allegation that psychotherapists may induce false memories, there is a long history of such cases brought to trial (Loftus, 1998).

How can this happen? The fact of the matter is that memory is for many a big mystery. Psychologists and researchers have been studying memory for some time (Goldsmith, Koriat & Pansky, 2000). The fact of the matter is no consistent conceptual framework exists for defining memory or...
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