<P> Penfield reported that stimulation of the temporal lobes could lead to vivid recall of memories . Oversimplified in popular psychology publications , including the best - selling I 'm OK -- You 're OK , this seeded the common misconception that the brain continuously `` records '' experiences in perfect detail , although these memories are not available to conscious recall . Reported episodes of recall occurred in less than five percent of his patients , though these results have been replicated by modern surgeons . Penfield 's hypothesis on this subject was revised in 1970 . His development of the Penfield dissector , the neurosurgical technique that produced the less injurious meningo - cerebral scar , became widely accepted in the field of neurosurgery and remains in regular use . </P>
with electrical stimulation during brain surgery penfield reported that patients
stimulation of the temporal lobes could lead to vivid recall of memories