Can an interactive website produce false memories? Schlosser performed an intriguing experiment: She took 2 groups of people and had them check out 2 different web sites devoted to the same digital camera. 1 site included static pictures; the other was interactive, allowing users to play around with a virtual version of the product. Later, she tested them on their ability to recall details about the camera. She intentionally included details that were false, but sufficiently plausible that they might have been true. The result? The people who viewed the interactive demo of the camera were much more likely than the folks who’d only viewed static images to “remember” the false details as being present.

there is a lesson for compelling UIs in there somewhere. or maybe for mischief.

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