Marketers can create 'false memories' of products we've never tried

I find it very disturbing that memories can be implanted into our mind to this extent, and make us believe things that never even happened from a simple advertisement.

Some recent experiments have shown that the right type of ad can implant memories of a product we've never tried

A group of college students saw vivid images of happy people enjoying the popcorn and heard tempting descriptions of its taste. Another group saw relatively subdued print ads. Some students from both groups got to taste the stuff. A week later, the students were quizzed about their experiences. Not surprisingly, those who had seen the low-key ads and hadn't tasted the popcorn reported that they'd never tried it.


But many of those who hadn't tried the popcorn but had watched the vivid-image ads were certain they had tried it. Further, those who hadn't actually tasted the popcorn but were fed the slick ads rated the popcorn as just as delicious as those who had tried it. .

By the way, the Gourmet Fresh variety doesn't exist. Subjects were given a real Redenbacher's product to sample.

I am so glad we don't have television at my house anymore...
.


Sorry, I forgot my link guys money.msn.com...

This is exactly why I stopped watching television about 2 years ago. I did go without a mobile phone for a year but then I started noticing that if you want sex in this day and age.. you need a phone.

/Sigh.

Originally posted by tinker9917
I find it very disturbing that memories can be implanted into our mind to this extent,

I am so glad we don't have television at my house anymore....

That wont save you.
People who study these things have come to the conclusion that false memories are very easily implanted in a whole bunch of different ways.
And once they're in, there is NO WAY of telling if they're real or not. Being "sure" doesnt help.

A classic example is the old lost in a shopping mall experiment, where people are asked to imaging what it would have been like to have been lost, as a child.
Lots of people later reported that they actual had memories of this hapening to them.

Many many other examples exist. Wouldnt be surprised if you got a false memory every time you watched a good movie.

I wonder how this translates to other vivid content besides marketing? For instance violent or suggestive scenes. Does it mean a person is more likely to accept it or particpate in that type of behavior because the brain already accepts it as real on some level?

Scary, scary stuff.

Originally posted by TechUnique
This is exactly why I stopped watching television about 2 years ago. I did go without a mobile phone for a year but then I started noticing that if you want sex in this day and age.. you need a phone.

/Sigh.

To quote myself..

I just noticed how much television has played on my natural instincts. I need a phone to get sex in this day and age? TV makes me want sex even more than I should want it, I need a phone to get sex, company makes money.

Makes me feel like such a pawn sometimes.

EDIT TO ADD: Sod it. I don't have any money to spend on anything anyway. My phone cost me £15.

(Edited after reading the actual source)

Do you think they could do the same thing with something like say, a car?

Interesting!


Can you provide the source please?

Originally posted by kosmicjack
I wonder how this translates to other vivid content besides marketing? For instance violent or suggestive scenes. Does it mean a person is more likely to accept it or particpate in that type of behavior because the brain already accepts it as real on some level?

Scary, scary stuff.

This was exactly what I was thinking. The social ramifications for this are huge. This subject has fascinated and scared me for a very long time now. Its good to see some trials done and published.

S+F.

There's a reason that what we see on T.V. is called 'programming', folks!!!

Yuck.

S&F!

Originally posted by TechUnique
I started noticing that if you want sex in this day and age.. you need a phone.

What, you put it into vibrating mode?

Here's a source.

Fake Popcorn

Ad's on TV are pretty vivid, why aren't people everywhere saying that they've tried products they've seen on TV? I wouldn't be surprised to hear that these people had chronic fatigue or something that clouds their mind.

Originally posted by TechUnique

Originally posted by kosmicjack
I wonder how this translates to other vivid content besides marketing? For instance violent or suggestive scenes. Does it mean a person is more likely to accept it or particpate in that type of behavior because the brain already accepts it as real on some level?

Scary, scary stuff.

This was exactly what I was thinking. The social ramifications for this are huge. This subject has fascinated and scared me for a very long time now. Its good to see some trials done and published.

S+F.

Makes you wonder how much of our memories may not even be real or accurate

reply to post by TechUnique


That's funny, I have a wife for that. I don't have a cell phone, or really watch any TV. And I want sex all the time whether I watch TV or not.

Sorry, I forgot the link.... link has been added.

Originally posted by wtbengineer
reply to post by TechUnique

 

That's funny, I have a wife for that. I don't have a cell phone, or really watch any TV. And I want sex all the time whether I watch TV or not.

Its a bit different for youth in modern day 'Britain'.

reply to post by tinker9917


Sorry haven't read how it was done but surely the subjects would know that the test had something to do with popcorn otherwise how did they know who had tasted it before? Wouldn't this be asked before the test. Where was the control?

reply to post by scottlpool2003


The control was that the brand of popcorn depicted was fictitious.