A cochlear implant electrode assembly device (10) comprising an elongate electrode carrier member (11), and a shape element (15) formed of a memory material, such as Nitinol. The elongate member (11) is made of a resiliently flexible first material and has a length and a plurality of electrodes (12) mounted thereon adapted to apply a preselected tissue stimulation. The elongate member (11) has a pre-formed curved orientation that at least substantially matches an inside surface of a cochlea, an implantable orientation different to said pre-formed orientation that allows said member to be inserted into an implantee's cochlea, and an at least one intermediate orientation between said implantable orientation and said pre-formed orientation. The shape element (15) is removably positioned within the elongate member (11) and extends along at least a portion of the length thereof. The shape element (15) has a first shape selected for biasing the elongate member (11) into the implantable orientation when the shape element is at a first temperature, and at least a second shape that allows the elongate member (11) to adopt said at least one intermediate orientation when the shape element (15) is exposed to a temperature of the cochlea (30) being different than the first temperature.