Clarification of Answer by
tisme-ga
on
01 Dec 2002 13:00 PST
Hello trindigo,
I thought you were looking for a general idea of some experiements
based on how your question was worded.
I think that this experiment in the answer:
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/intro/cafe/wort/olc/18411.htm would
work if you followed the results exactly. Make sure you stress to the
participants that they should tell as MUCH of the story as they
remember and that every detail is necessary. Chances are that
confabulation will occur as a result.
This file: http://psy.st-andrews.ac.uk/handbooks/modules/ps1000/ps1001cogL13.pdf
also has an example where all you need is a film of a car accident. I
don't think it matters what the film is, there must be tons of them
out there. Find one without a broken headlight visible and the
experiment will work.
One experiment that I can think of that results in confabulation is
having a group of people line up and you whisper two or so sentences
to the first person with intricate details. The first person is then
told to whisper the story to the next person without leaving anything
out. By the time the story is at the end of the line and that person
reads it out, it will have totally changed, with only the most basic
elements left. This is a form of confabulation.
The problem with experiments like this is that they usually have to be
designed for the situation. I think you would greatly benefit from
contacting the psychology department at your local university and
asking if they would be able to help you. If you understand how the
process of confabulation works, you should be able to structure an
experiment that should have an effect. Basically it involves showing
the group something, taking their attention away for a few minutes,
and then trying to make them say something in the story or film
happened (which really did not but would have made sense to happen).
You can achieve this effect by asking a leading question such as "When
the blue dodge pickup drove across at the start of the film, did you
see the yellow scarf it drove over?" Chances are that most of the
people will now remember that a blue dodge pickup drove across the
road, even if it did not. In their reality the blue pickup will have
occured, but the argument will be about the yellow scarf.
Unfortunately confabulation experiments tend to have a 50% - 75%
success rates based on the links that I originally provided so there
is always a chance that your experiment will not work.
You might want to try to get a hold of the following books at a
library near you:
"Features experimental and theoretical contributions from leading
cognitive psychologists, neuropsychologists, and neurologists."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0863776930/002-9499365-4424830?vi=glance
Book which discusses confabulation and false memory:
http://www.memorylossonline.com/resources/r_confabulation.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0618040196/ref=pd_bxgy_text_1/002-9499365-4424830?v=glance&s=books
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/SCHMED.html
I tried searching for more detailed experiements but most of the links
online come from the psychological academic world, and are meant for
students to understand the theory behind how confabulation works, not
for them to reconstruct events. I am sure you would be much more
likely to find structured experiements in the books listed above or in
psychological journals. Perhaps a good starting point would be a phone
call to your local university.
I hope that this clarification will help get you closer to achieving
your intended result.
tisme-ga
