Basically, it shows that a story about an experience in an advertisement may easily trigger a false memory in one’s brain. More former Disney theme park visitors who saw a cardboard cutout of Bugs Bunny (property of Warner Brothers) and read an mocked-up ad about an experience meeting him at the Magic Kingdom were fooled into thinking the experience happened to them than people who read a generic Disneyland ad that did not mention Bugs.
Another discussion I read about this study found it surprising, and some wondered if companies could use this to their advantage in their advertisements (for example, making a person remember enjoying eating a Certain Food Product at a Fast Food Restaurant), even if they never did (like meeting Bugs at Disneyland).
Any comments? Thoughts? Suggestions? Bribes? Death threats?
In the Disney movie, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988)
Mickey Mouse is seen with Bugs Bunny in one scean.
They each have a speaking role. The people tested
were six and seven when the movie came out. They
may have seen the video since then.
The article said Bugs could not be in a Disney property.
In 1988, this happened.
False memories can be triggered. But I was hoping for
a better test.
I don’t see a problem with this test. A person visting Disneyland would still not have seen Bugs Bunny walking around, as the Warner Bros character promote the Six Flags theme parks.
Either way, the people claiming to remember meeting Bugs Bunny at Disneyland is a false memory as there are no people dressed as WB characters at Disney parks. For all we know, having seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit may having contributed to people having a false memory.