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The Memory Illusion
- Why You May Not Be Who You Think You Are
- Narrated by: Siri Steinmo
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
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The Memory Illusion
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Summary
Think you have a good memory? Think again.
Memories are our most cherished possessions. We rely on them every day of our lives. They make us who we are. And yet the truth is they are far from being the accurate records of the past we like to think they are. True, we can all admit to having suffered occasional memory lapses, such as entering a room and immediately forgetting why or suddenly being unable to recall the name of someone we've met dozens of times. But what if we have the potential for more profound errors of memory, even verging on outright fabrication and self-deception?
In The Memory Illusion, forensic psychologist and memory expert Dr Julia Shaw uses the latest research to show the astonishing variety of ways in which our brains can indeed be led astray. She shows why we can sometimes misappropriate other people's memories, subsequently believing them to be our own. She explains how police officers can imprison an innocent man for life on the basis of 300 denials and just one confession. She demonstrates the way radically false memories can be deliberately implanted, leading people to believe that they brutally murdered a loved one or were abducted by aliens. And she reveals how, in spite of all this, we can improve our memory through simple awareness of its fallibility.
Fascinating and unnerving in equal measure, The Memory Illusion offers a unique insight into the human brain, challenging you to question how much you can ever truly know about yourself.
Dr Julia Shaw is a psychology lecturer and memory researcher at the University of Bedfordshire and is one of only a handful of experts in the world who actively conduct research on complex memory errors related to emotional personal events - so-called 'false memories'. Dr Shaw has published research articles in various international academic journals, written textbook chapters, and presented at many international conferences. She is also heavily involved in teaching classes on memory at the undergraduate and graduate levels, for which she has won two teaching excellence awards.
Besides her teaching and research, she has delivered general business and police-training workshops, has given guest lectures at universities around the world, has evaluated offender diversion programs and works with the UK police to advise on historical sexual and physical abuse cases. She has also been featured as an expert on TV and radio and in UK and international newspapers.
What listeners say about The Memory Illusion
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul Hinds
- 08-07-16
Your past is an illusion
What did you like most about The Memory Illusion?
What a great listen! Dr Shaw presents us with a huge weight of scientific evidence to demonstrate why our cherished memories could well be a work of fiction. I particularly liked the way she goes through the various research providing both a technical but also a lay person's explanation of what it means in the context of current memory research and its implications on both the individual and society, in particular the criminal justice system.
It made me appreciate how much our memories shape who we are and how they define us and influence our decisions. There is some biology in there on how the brain works, but this is explained clearly and succinctly. The bulk of the book focuses on how our brains (and sometimes those around us) can be deceived into thinking we have a clear memory of something when it didn't happen.
I chose this book on a whim, and am glad I did so, or at least I have a memory of enjoying it.........
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Memory Illusion?
Hearing that 'hypnosis' in the sense that most people use it does not exist and coming to the realisation that I may not be the person I think I am!
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- R C JONES
- 07-02-20
Interesting discussion on the scientific research on memory
I found the structure of the book easy to follow and the chapters made the more complex concepts simpler. I would recommend this to listeners who enjoy popular science books and you didn’t need a science or psychology background to understand the discussions. I found some of the quips a little odd but it may have been more the narrators intonation. I don’t usually mind American narrators but I did find her accent particularly strong and it distracted me at times. I still enjoyed the content but would avoid the narrator in the future
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Booka
- 15-01-17
Interesting intro to memory
The book explained how fallible our memories are and gave good examples for when this can become problematic (e.g. Solving crimes that happened a long time ago).
It also explained how easy it is to form new memories of events that didn't happen. Whilst this is worrying it is less worrying than the fact that few people understand this!
Definitely worth a listen to if you're interested in memory.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ASHISH SINHA
- 15-05-22
Interesting book challenging stereotypes
While I dont fully agree with all the author's weighty conclusions, I still enjoyed the depth of the research amd arguments. It is a thought provoking book but still misses a lot of Eastern wisdom in terms of memory training and advancement of mental memory models. Overall a well narrated amd engaging book... worthy of a good debate
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ken pammen
- 29-10-23
The Memory illusion.
I can thoroughly recommend this book as it is packed with information on memory and solid references to academic studies on the subject. C
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Allison Wright
- 16-07-21
Engaging and interesting
A surprisingly light listen. Expert handling of a complex subject. I will listen to this again just to see what I remember from the first time around.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- highleighdoctor
- 20-11-21
Insightful
Fascinating insight into the infallibility of memories backed up by extensive research and worked examples that the lay person can understand.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jason Marks
- 26-09-23
Mindblowing
What a ride!
After listening I’m not sure (!) I’ll ever be certain of any memory again
My episodic memory is terrible and I’m now wondering if any such memories are genuine at all
An excellent work on a critical subject - a ‘must listen’
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- Broken Down Angel
- 14-04-17
Really good reading/list to understand memory more
Accessable information
Great stuff on the research
Would like more on how to use it for learning, but that's probably a whole other, focused, book
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2 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 17-07-20
Interesting book.
I have learn many things and now far more insightfully inform to areas of the mind and it's functions.
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1 person found this helpful