PSY 352
Understanding Experiments in Cognition
PSY 352: Cognitive Psychology
The true question is what are false memories? False memories are recollections of events
that may seem real in a person's mind but are distorted or fabricated as a whole. Memories seem
like they are simple and not complicated, however, research shows that memories are unreliable
and subject to change. Whenever you truly look at memories, they can be more complex than
they seem. An example of a false memory is when you believe you locked your car door when
walking into the store, but you did not. Our memories can be reconstructed as we age or as our
views of the world change. Also, any person can incorrectly remember childhood events or
create new false memories through effective suggestion.
An incorrect recollection of memories is not considered malicious or intentionally hurtful
all the time. However, they are considered shifts or reconstructions of the memory that do not
align with the true events that happened. At times a false memory can however have
consequences when it comes to a court or legal setting and wrongly convict someone. A
malleable memory can have a significant consequence in a legal setting when using children as
an eyewitness, in cases with sexual abuse, or misidentification. Those are just some big things
where it could have a significant consequence.
Some see memories as black or white, meaning that it was simple to see and that answers
are either true or false with no middle ground in between. So, how is a false memory formed?
False memories can be constructed by combining a real memory with the content of suggestions
of others. In this process, an individual may forget the true source of information, which then
becomes an example of source confusion where everything becomes dissociated.
During the time we are sleeping, events are moved from a person’s temporary memory to
permanent storage. This is typically when elements or important details get lost, and when false
memory tends to begin. However, false memories can still be generated in multiple ways and for
Understanding Experiments in Cognition
PSY 352: Cognitive Psychology
The true question is what are false memories? False memories are recollections of events
that may seem real in a person's mind but are distorted or fabricated as a whole. Memories seem
like they are simple and not complicated, however, research shows that memories are unreliable
and subject to change. Whenever you truly look at memories, they can be more complex than
they seem. An example of a false memory is when you believe you locked your car door when
walking into the store, but you did not. Our memories can be reconstructed as we age or as our
views of the world change. Also, any person can incorrectly remember childhood events or
create new false memories through effective suggestion.
An incorrect recollection of memories is not considered malicious or intentionally hurtful
all the time. However, they are considered shifts or reconstructions of the memory that do not
align with the true events that happened. At times a false memory can however have
consequences when it comes to a court or legal setting and wrongly convict someone. A
malleable memory can have a significant consequence in a legal setting when using children as
an eyewitness, in cases with sexual abuse, or misidentification. Those are just some big things
where it could have a significant consequence.
Some see memories as black or white, meaning that it was simple to see and that answers
are either true or false with no middle ground in between. So, how is a false memory formed?
False memories can be constructed by combining a real memory with the content of suggestions
of others. In this process, an individual may forget the true source of information, which then
becomes an example of source confusion where everything becomes dissociated.
During the time we are sleeping, events are moved from a person’s temporary memory to
permanent storage. This is typically when elements or important details get lost, and when false
memory tends to begin. However, false memories can still be generated in multiple ways and for
