False memories are more common than you might think.
Learning how to recognize false memories can help you separate the facts from the fabrications.
Most of us like to believe that we have a reasonably goodmemory.
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Even strong emotions can affect how we remember things.
Being more aware of this fallibility may help you better recognize the potential for false memories.
What Are False Memories?
Research has helped demonstrate just how fragile human memory can be.
We are frighteningly susceptible to errors, and subtle suggestions can triggerfalse memories.
Surprisingly, people with exceptional memories are still susceptible to making things up without even realizing it.
Most of the time, these false memories are centered on things that are fairly mundane or inconsequential.
Simple, everyday events that have few real consequences.
But sometimes these false memories can have serious or even devastating consequences.
A false memory relayed during criminal testimony might lead to an innocent person being convicted of a crime.
What Causes False Memories?
There may be a few different factors involved in the formation of these false recollections.
Inaccurate Perception
Human perception isn’t perfect.
Sometimes we see things that aren’t there andmiss obvious thingsthat are right in front of us.
In many cases, false memories form because the information is not encoded correctly in the first place.
For example, a person might witness an accident but not have a clear view of everything that happened.
A person’s mind might fill in the “gaps” by forming memories that did not actually occur.
Inference
In other cases, old memories and experiences compete with newer information.
As we are piecing old information back together, there are sometimes holes or gaps in our memory.
This newer information might compete with your existing memories of the event or fill in missing bits of information.
Retelling important events can also lead to a false belief in the accuracy of the memory.
Misinformation
Sometimes accurate information gets mixed with incorrect information, which then distorts our memories for events.
In her studies, participants were shown images of a traffic accident.
The interviewers included leading questions or misleading information when questioned about the event after seeing the images.
Some research suggests that false recollections during the interrogation process often contribute to wrongful convictions.
Misattribution
Misattribution can also play a role in the formation of false memories.
Have you ever mixed up the details of one story with the details of another?
Fuzzy trace theory suggests that we sometimes make verbatim traces of events and other times make only gist traces.
How does this explain false memories?
Sometimes how we interpret information does not accurately reflect what really happened.
These biased interpretations of events can lead to false memories of the original events.
These memories can range from the trivial to the life-altering, from the mundane to the potentially fatal.
The bottom line is this: Everyone remembers the past differently, and these memories are not always accurate.
Distortions, misinformation, and other factors can all contribute to the formation of false memories.
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