Hello and welcome to another episode of the Perception Podcast with me your host Caroline Partridge. Today I'm marking this the 50th episode of the series by inviting back my very first guest Professor of Experimental Psychology Daniel C. Richardson to deep dive into the fitting topic of memory. Once again I'm astounded by the insights shared by Dan as we learn that despite having an immense capacity for recognition, memory is not an objective instrument of recall, but essentially serves as a tool of storytelling, and that tool is highly susceptible to bias, expectation and suggestion. So please join me as we remember the past through a very a different lens. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Memory reconstructs events through storytelling, not accurate playback. We fill in details that seem plausible based on assumptions.
• Repeated retelling of memories introduces distortion and bias over time as we recreate narratives. Stories evolve with each retelling.
• Visualisation when encoding information creates deeper initial brain activation, improving later recall. Engaging more senses aids memory.
• Traumatic memories have a true core, but peripheral details woven around them may shift via repeated retelling. This can cloud legal testimony.
• Memory loss in dementia is often a retrieval deficit rather than erased data. Cues from the past can help reawaken inaccessible memories.
• To remember names, create vivid (even bizarre) mental images combining the name and the person's appearance in the moment you meet them.
• Though details may be flawed, personal memories still hold meaning and value. Storytelling gives our lives richness.

BEST MOMENTS

"When you recall a memory, you're not pressing play on the DVD player of your brain. You are spinning a story and telling yourself that detail."

"The more you visualise stuff, that gives you more diverse brain activation and makes it more like you're remembering stuff."

"If I was to show you a penny and flip it round, you wouldn’t say, hang on, that’s the wrong way round."

"Because what those things are, are stories and personal stories that like all stories have great meaning and value."

"Some of the details might be wrong. The person wasn’t wearing that coat that didn’t really happen, but that’s not the important thing about it."

"If your test is just, have you remembered these five things? Then yeah, note-taking is really, really useful."

"Rather than just say, oh, hi, you’re Doug. Nice to meet you, Doug. Take a few mental seconds to think, how am I going to remember Doug?"

"It’s just a case of reawakening it. Getting them to tell that story again."

ABOUT THE GUEST

Daniel C. Richardson is a Professor of Experimental Psychology at University College London. Prior to that, he was an undergraduate at Magdalen College, Oxford, a graduate student at Cornell, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford, and an assistant professor at UC Santa Cruz. His research examines how individuals' thought processes are related to the people around them. He has authored many scientific articles in cognitive, developmental and social psychology and two popular science books, Man vs Mind and A Dummies Guide to Social Psychology. Daniel has appeared in science documentaries, TV shows such as 'Duck Quacks Don't Echo', and been featured on the Naked Scientists podcast. He consults with a group of scientists at ACN Labs to use the tools of neuroscience to answer real world questions outside of the lab. He has investigated such as how the brain responses to audiobooks, what is special about the experience of live theatre, and whether fast sports cars really do compensate for a lack of manhood. He received three Provost's Teaching Awards from UCL, and has performed shows at the London Science Museum and Bloomsbury theatre combining science, music and live experiments on the group mind of the audience.

Socials & Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-richardson-455876209/

ACN: Applied Consumer Neuroscience Research

ABOUT THE HOST

Bio

Caroline Partridge is a unique and creative individual. She is an actress, puppeteer, educator, and artist with funny bones. She loves a story and is an expert at conveying wit and wisdom with warmth, understanding, and empathy.

CONTACT METHOD

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/caropartridge

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-partridge-03131520

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/partridge_caroline