Memory -- Where Does It Go?

"Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind

Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine,

Memories, memories, sweet memories"

– Mac Davis

To me, there is no doubt that my feeble memory is failing. Whether my present condition is a reality of old age or a particular effect of the life I have chosen to live is uncertain; however, I know that remembering things is becoming increasingly more difficult. I am now finding the most difficult part of grocery shopping at Krogers is remembering where I parked my car upon exiting the store.

A new study in Human Communication Research confirms that our brains tend to fail when relating information. Researchers found that people given accurate statistics on a controversial issue tended to misremember those numbers to fit commonly held beliefs.

For example, when people are shown that the number of Mexican immigrants in the United States declined recently – which is true but goes against many people’s beliefs – they tend to remember the opposite.

Jason Coronel, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at The Ohio State University says … 

“And when people pass along this misinformation they created, the numbers can get further and further from the truth. People can self-generate their own misinformation. It doesn't all come from external sources.”

Coronel confirms people may not be doing it purposely, but their own biases can lead them astray. Coronel and his other researchers found that people usually got the numerical relationship right on the issues for which the stats were consistent with how many people viewed the world. But when it came to the issues where the numbers went against many people’s beliefs, participants were much more likely to remember the numbers in a way that agreed with their probable biases rather than the truth.

People often resist altering their perceptions, instead believing they are right in their previous constructs. When they have an idea in their mind, they tend to look for evidence that supports that idea and not pay attention to evidence that says the idea isn’t accurate.

Why? Karyn Hall, Ph.D., founder of www.DBTSkillsCoaching.com, says people do not like uncertainty and often respond emotionally to different ideas, situations, or people. Negative reactions to ambiguity – even quick, first impressions – can anchor their later perceptions. They often base their unnecessary fears in unfamiliarity. And, if these people imagine something occurring, their view of the likelihood of that thing actually occurring increases.

Solution aversion, as the researchers call it, seems to know no partisan bounds. “In any issue where people’s cherished beliefs and identities are in play, you’re probably going to see some amount of solution aversion,” said Troy Campbell, a consumer behavior researcher at Duke University’s business school. “We alter our view of reality to be as flattering as possible.” He concludes …

“If you feel really negatively about the solution, if you don’t want the solution to happen, then you deny that the problem exists. Then there will be coherence in your belief systems.”

Failing memories, misremembering, solution aversion, politicized narratives – is it any wonder human beings are fountains of biased interpretations with faulty, leaking connections of verification? We can and we should be more self-aware of bias … especially of our own partiality. Columnist David Brooks made the same point when he wrote about what he called the “mental virtues” of a willingness to challenge oneself, humility about one’s own understanding, and openness to the knowledge of others. David Brooks writes …

“Thinking well means pushing against the grain of our nature – against vanity, against laziness, against the desire for certainty, against the desire to avoid painful truths. Good thinking isn’t just adopting the right technique. It’s a moral enterprise and requires good character, the ability to go against our lesser impulses for the sake of our higher ones …

“There is humility, which is not letting your own desire for status get in the way of accuracy. The humble person fights against vanity and self-importance. The humble researcher doesn’t become arrogant toward his subject, assuming he has mastered it. Such a person is open to learning from anyone at any stage in life.”

Many people tend to have flawed perspectives preventing them from moving forward in an optimal way. Although their vision of accuracy is important to them, like the wind and the rain, truth is beyond their control.

Of course, I'm talking about others; I'm certainly not speaking about myself. My ironclad, 69 year-old mind is infallible. The trustworthiness of my opinions is unquestioned. My beliefs are free of cognitive distortions, polarized thinking, overgeneralizations, mislabeling, and jumping to conclusions. You can take that to the bank.

After all, I remember being the class valedictorian, a National Merit recipient, and a Rhodes scholar. I also scored that winning touchdown in the State Championship game of 1969, and then I became the youngest mayor of my town at the tender age of twenty-one. That was just before I took the cabinet position and President Ford sought my advice on ending the war and finding a solution to world poverty. Since then, I've been happy to work for think tanks at institutes including Cato, Brookings, and Rand.

I can go and on, but right now I need your help for an immediate, pressing problem of the highest personal priority. Do you think you can help me find my car? I've got a buggy full of groceries, and I'm standing here in Kroger's parking lot without a clue. I'd appreciate your humble assistance.