Ach, this is one area of science that makes my blood boil! I am VERY sceptical about "false memory syndrome". However I'm not suggesting that we all have perfect memory ability. Instead I would describe it as "potentially inaccurate memory" or "the ability of the mind to be manipulated".
The reason I am so wary of the idea of "false memory" is that it can be – and has been – used to make people doubt their own mental capabilities. It has been used to dispute witness testimonies in judicial cases. It can therefore be used to limit people's rights and freedoms.
And I didn't fall for the flashing light experiment, because I could see it coming! I saw only two flashes. Though I admit, if I had been watching it out of context I might have believed I saw three flashes.
I've read about the Elizabeth Loftus "shopping mall" experiment before. There were only 24 participants, and only a quarter of them, 25%, reported remembering the "false" event.
The reason I've put "false" in quotes is because... maybe this wasn't even a false memory. Most of us can remember a time when we got lost as a small child, and even if it was only for a short time, it would have seemed scary at that age. And it was quite likely that when we were lost, an older person would have found us. Even if that older person was in their 30s, to a 5-year-old they might appear as an "elderly"! So maybe those "implanted" memories weren't quite as false as they might appear.
In any case, I think that experiment is flawed, yet it is often quoted as "proof" of "false memory syndrome".
I enjoy your science posts, so I hope you don't mind me disputing this aspect. I just think it has wider implications, and with so much riding on it, I don't think we should be giving too much credence to dubious research carried out on a group of 24 people.