graham@convex.UUCP (06/27/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-113800:convex:45200002:000:895
convex!graham Jun 27 15:38:00 1984
"... a person can be enabled (through
hypnosis or by asking him the right way) to remember
infinite details of any experience of this or prior life
times ... "
> Memory recall under hypnosis has been found to be just as reconstructive
> (perhaps more so) as normal memory. Hypnotic states buy you some recall,
> but not that much!
I have heard (but have no reference document to cite) that neuro-surgeons
have demonstrated that stimulation (i.e, contact with) certain parts of the
brain can produce complete recall of all sensory input from a past event,
even of details not originally "noticed". There is apparently a complete
record of sensory input stored which some mechanism filters, so that we are
"aware" of only some of it. Can anyone corroborate this, and cite a reference?
Marv Graham; ConVex Computer Corp. {allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!grahambenson@dcdwest.UUCP (06/29/84)
I recall that Penfield and Roberts, Canadian neuro-surgeons, performed experiments in the 40's (?) in which brain tissue was electrically stimulated. Patients would have recall of experiences from the past. What is not at all clear is whether these experience are veridical, i.e., true-to-life, or whether they are re-synthesized experiences. Much of memory is probably the re-coded and re-synthesized sort, in my opinion. -- _ Peter Benson | ITT Defense Communications Division (619)578-3080 | 10060 Carroll Canyon Road decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!benson | San Diego, CA 92131 ucbvax!sdcsvax!dcdwest!benson |
jmiller@ctvax.UUCP (07/02/84)
#R:sri-arpa:-113800:ctvax:45200003:000:853 ctvax!jmiller Jul 2 11:11:00 1984 As noted by others, we're talking about experiments by Penfield here. Pretty much any intro psychology book should be able to point you in the right direction, but be careful about taking them too seriously. Followup experiments by others did not always replicate Penfields findings, and these often failed in problematic ways -- people reported hearing both sides of a telephone conversation, or doing things or being places that could be disconfirmed in independent ways. The effects that could most reliably be replicated were those that suggesting that sensory pathways were getting activated by the stimulation: reports of pure tones or flashes of monochrome light were very common. Penfield's work was certanly interesting, but the current attitude is that there was a little less there than first appeared. Jim Miller Computer Thought, Dallas