the "Lost in the Mall" study

The "Lost in the Mall" study was a psychological experiment conducted by Elizabeth Loftus in the early 1990s. It tested whether people could be convinced they had been lost in a mall as a child, based on false memories. Participants received a booklet with real childhood photos and stories, including one about being lost in a mall they never experienced. Some believed this fabricated event, illustrating how easily false memories can be implanted through suggestion. The study highlights the malleability of human memory and the potential for false memories to be created through suggestion, with implications for eyewitness testimony and therapy.