Sometimes, firmly held memory representations in the brain are altered by external social influences in a phenomenon called "memory conformity." Edelson et al. (p. 108; see the Perspective by Roediger and McDermott) used a behavioral paradigm in combination with brain imaging to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved. After watching a documentary and completing a memory task, individuals were presented with fake memories from other participants. Even when their original recollection was correct, a large number of participants conformed to the majority opinion and gave incorrect answers, even after being informed about the original manipulations. Such persistent errors were associated with enhanced activity in the hippocampus, as well as in the amygdala during the test.
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