Soob

For those that are interested ... the latest Applied Cognitive Psychology journal has a number of research articles on Cognition and the Media. One of the research articles - 'Changing history: doctored photographs affect memory for past public events' - has been making the rounds in the psychology part of the blogosphere. The abstract states:

"We investigated how doctored photographs of past public events affect memory for those events. Italian participants viewed either original images or misleading digitally doctored images depicting the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest in Beijing and a 2003 protest in Rome against the war in Iraq, and they subsequently answered questions about those events. Viewing the doctored images affected the way participants remembered the events. Those who viewed the doctored photograph of the Beijing event estimated that a larger number of people participated in it. Those who viewed the doctored photograph of the Rome event rated the event as more violent and more negative, recalled more physical confrontation, damage to property, and injuries to demonstrators, and were less inclined to participate in future protests. Both younger and older adult participants were affected by the manipulation. Results indicate that doctored photographs of past public events can influence memory, attitudes and behavioural intentions."

There is good commentary on Mind Hacks and Neurophilosopher (article found via Neurophilosopher).

Also related, and found via Mind Hacks, was a news release entitled "Penn researchers pinpoint the brain waves that distinguish false memories from real ones".

Past posts on the manipulation of imagery:

The Emir Vanishes
Criminal Imagery Manipulation