In order to delve deeper into our topic of interest, we would to research extensively before hand. Before we begin our Podcast, we have noted down a series of questions and statements about the Mandela Effect. However, we plan to go deeper. We also created a series of questions which have not been investigated or mentioned in the press. Our statements have come from the following ‘Independent’ article:
Direct Quotes:
“Differences arise from movement between parallel realities; the multiverse” source: Fiona Broome
“Schemas are organised packets of knowledge that direct memory.” source: Frederic Bartlett’s schema theory
Indirect Quotes:
‘…The Queen in Snow White says “Mirror, mirror on the wall.” The correct phase is “Magic mirror on the wall.”’ source: Snow White movie
‘For instance, it was wrongly recalled that C-3PO from Star Wars was gold, actually one of his legs is silver.’ source: Star Wars movie franchise
‘Broome explains the Mandela Effect via pseudoscientific theories.’ source: authors Neil Dagnall and Ken Drinkwater paraphrasing Fiona Broome (creator of the Mandela Effect
Questions for Direct Quotes:
- Could false memories be linked to broader theories, like time-warps, false realities, etc.?
- Where exactly in the human memory system do people turn to direct their lives?
Questions for Indirect Quotes:
- Do the examples of the Mandela Effect go beyond just mistaking when Nelson Mandela died? Are there other instances in pop culture, childhood recollections, etc?
- Could Mandela Effects go beyond what people hear? Are there any examples incorporating other senses like sight, hearing, etc.?
- What are the grounds to Broome’s Online study? Is it focused more on scientific analysis and polling, or are her theories just a collection of hypotheses?
List of Questions Still Remaining:
(1) Who did Broome find that also thought Nelson Mandela’s supposedly died in the eighties? Did she follow any method of fact-checking to confirm they were telling the truth (and not just giving her a bogus story)? While on her Website (mandelaeffect.com) she mentioned meeting the people at a conference, she has described them as “random people.” There has been no follow up to who the people are and what makes their testimony credible that goes beyond just their word (ie. no news coverage to play back showing Mandela’s funeral).
(2) Where did Fiona Broome get her education, knowledge and credentials to become a reliable “Paranormal Consultant”? How can courses and training in this field be scientific, when paranormal concepts are regarded as myths or tales? While Broome explained how she got her Online network going on her Website, there is no explanation to her she got her credentials from. It also goes to question why people trust her articles, since her background is quite abstract.
(3) How did the Mandela Effect get conflated with black magic, witchcraft and other dark Satanic matter? According to The Conversation and other publications, various myths have come to light citing time travellers and demonic rituals have lead to the Mandela Effect. However, there is still no scientific proof for the claims. But no publications has specified yet where these myths originated from, and if Broome and her open comment section lead to the rumours’ gaining traction.
(4) How do people confuse real events versus imagined ones from their memory? What happens to the human brain for “organized packets of knowledge” to get distorted from the truth? While Bartlett may have uncovered where the brain turns to for existing memories, it is still unclear what in particular happens in the brain for memories to get distorted and altered.
(5) Should you believe in someone else’s story/memory even if its filled with tons of confidence, detail and emotion? How can you tell if someone is telling the truth or not? Are there any body language cues or a structure/detail to their statement that can prove it is not a false memory? According to the Scientific American blog, there is no study dedicated to linking body language and false memories. As of 2016, it is understood that there is no way to distinguish if a memory is false or not in the absence of evidence (ie. photographs).
(6) What is the future of this concept? Are there any grounds to take this from a “pseudoscientific” concept to a coherent psychological study? Could Broome play a role in this study even though her work is not is not based on scientific method? These are important questions to ask, because in Broome’s Mandela Effect Website, she never quoted to outside, professional research. Instead, Broome has her Website set-up for conversational purposes where people can write responses and tips without any verification.
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