kenc ( )

Date: January 17, 2014 08:31PM Posted by:Date: January 17, 2014 08:31PM

Thought this might be of interest to some. I included this section in a paper related to the contradictory and evolved first vision stories Smith told. I thought it was germane to the conversation.



Scientific literature on memory and recall



The church’s essay did not address well known facts about human recall as it relates to Joseph Smith’s first vision stories.



The science related to memory and recall is relevant to Joseph Smith’s first vision claims. Memories are reconstructive and

subject to confabulations. Replicated studies show that after the fact, people create particulars and shape them to fit a story line. We add details that never happened if experiences are not recorded immediately. We consistently spin the stories of our lives rather than recall events correctly. And the confabulations are designed to make us look better. These are established facts.



We reconstruct memories so we can justify past behavior and portray our lives in a positive light. Repeated studies agree that if people only imagine having an experience, they are likely to report that it actually happened, especially if they did not record actual details of the experience immediately. With each successive reconstruction of the past, our memories migrate further and further from the truth.



Self-serving memory distortion is “getting what you want by revisiting what you had.” When humans visually imagine past events it generates neural activity in regions of the brain that ultimately create false memories about those events. Those with vivid imaginations constantly confabulate when they recall past experiences. When we cannot recall details, or we wish to impress others, the brain is designed to fill in the blanks with inaccurate information.



Some may wonder if Joseph did exhibit characteristics associated with photographic memory, or hyperthymestic syndrome (also hyperthymesia and autobiographical memory). This syndrome causes affected individuals to spend more time thinking about past incidents and they can recollect every activity that happened on a particular day for decades into the past. Only a handful of people in the world have this rare disorder. Though it is often portrayed in TV and movies as an aid to crime solving, there is no evidence that photographic memory was one of Smith's abilities.



Most are not aware that they are reconstructing a past life that never occurred when recalling memories, but some do it intentionally. Both cases are on vivid display at high school reunions.



Church leaders and loyal members ask the public to believe that Joseph Smith had a vision in 1820. He did not write down any facts about it until 12 years after it allegedly happened. He re-told a number of different first vision stories over a period of 22 years that contradict, add details, and exaggerate his original story. His conflicting stories bear the marks of a retroactively amended and embellished experience, to those not emotionally invested and spiritually committed to believing in Smith as a divine prophet.



References

Anne E. Wilson and Michael Ross (2001), “From Chump to Champ: People’s Appraisals of Their Earlier and Present Selves,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, pp. 572-584.



Michael Ross and Anne E. Wilson (2003), “Autobiographical Memory and Conceptions of Self: Getting Better All the Time,” Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, pp. 66-69.)



Barbara Tversky and Elizabeth J. Marsh (2000), “Biases Retellings of Events Yield Biased Memories,” Cognitive Psychology, 40, pp. 1-38;



Elizabeth J. Marsh and Barbara Tversky (2004), “Spinning the Stories of Our Lives,” Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, pp. 491-503.)



Carol Tavris and Elliot Araonson (2007), Mistakes Were Made (but not by me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts, pp. 68-96.



Brian Gonsalves, Paul J. Reber, Darren R. Gitelman, et al. (2004), “Neural Evidence that Vivid Imagining Can Lead to False Remembering.” Psychological Science, 15, pp. 655-660.



Elizabeth F. Loftus (2004), “Memories of Things Unseen.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13, pp. 145-147;



Elizabeth F. Loftus (2001), Imagining the Past, in Psychologist, 14 (British Psychological Society), pp. 584-587;



Maryanne Garry, Charles Manning, Elizabeth Loftus, and Steven J. Sherman (1996), “Imagination Inflation: Imagining a Childhood Event Inflates Confidence That It Occurred,” Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 3, pp. 208-214;



Giuliana Mazzoni and Amina Memon (2003), “Imagination Can Create False Autobiographical Memories,” Psychological Science, 14, pp. 186-188.



Parker ES, Cahill L, McGaugh JL (February 2006). "A case of unusual autobiographical remembering.". Neurocase 12 (1): 35-49



Scott O. Lilienfeld, Stevn Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, Barry L. Beyerstein, (2010), 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior. Wiley-Blackwell Publishers, United Kingdom, pp. 65-82.