Why Do False Memories Exist

A false memory is a fabricated or corrupt recollection of an event. Memories can be false in inconsequential and considerable ways. An inconsequential way is thinking one’s coat is hanging in the closet when it is really on a chair in the dining room. A considerable way is when there is an implication that one was sexually abused as a child. There are factors that include misinformation that interfere with the formation of a new memory, causing recollection to be mistaken or entirely false. False memories can have serious implications, such as the false identification of a suspect or false recollection during police interrogations. In regards to eyewitness testimony, the length of time between the incident and being interviewed about the event

Good Morning Gentleman and Ladies – I appreciate the DA giving me an opportunity to speak to you. I have read the background information on your specific case. Today’s presentation will present on overview of the research concerning false memories and how such findings could apply to this particular case. I will then outline some situations that are known to increase the likelihood of false memories and end with strategies that may reduce the occurrence of false memories

In summary, the discussion about the false memory syndrome is far from being complete. False memory syndrome makes it difficult to judge the viability of an event and is very hard to banish from ones memory. A small false creation embeds in the mind for a very long time. Once an individual creates a false memory, it becomes part and parcel of his or her life. Therapeutic sessions should be taken with care so as to reduce false memory implanted to reduce

Memory is one of the most critical parts of cognition. It is important because it is involved in almost every aspect of cognition including problem solving, decision making, attention, and perception. Because of this importance, people rely on one’s memory to make important decisions. The value of one’s memory in this society is so high that it is used as evidence to either save one’s life or kill one’s life during murder trials. But as many of the cognitive psychologists know, human’s memory can cause many errors. One of these errors is false memory which is either remembering events that never happened or remembering events differently from the actual event. This finding of false memory raised big interests among psychologists and

False memory, second to forgetting, is one of the two fundamental types of deformation in episodic memory (Holliday, Brainerd & Reyna, 2010). Simply stated, false memory is the propensity to account normal occurrences as being a fraction of a key experience that in actuality was not an element of that experience (Holliday, Brainerd & Reyna). False memories are something nearly everyone experience. Furthermore, false memory is defined as placed together, constructed representations of mental schemas that are incorrect (Solso, MacLin & MacLin, 2008). Individuals do not intentionally fabricate their memory. However, perceptual and social factors are a few things that a responsible for manipulating memory (Solso, MacLin & MacLin, 2008).

Psychologists have diligently studied the human mind for many years and have yet to discover some of the ways that the brain performs simple and complex tasks. Since the knowledge that has been obtained concerning processes of the brain remains a mere fraction compared to what is unknown about cognitive functioning, individuals cannot fully grasp the reasoning behind why the brain performs some of the acts it does. Many people daydream, picture themselves recovering lost items in obscure places, or even create stories repeated so much that individuals begin to believe they may have happened; all three of these examples are forms of creating a false memory. Many psychologists have researched, evaluated, and experimented with false memory, which has lead to the discovery of False Memory Syndrome, a condition in which individuals contract false memories while almost always remaining oblivious to the act of creating a memory that is not factual or concrete (Berger 1). False memory syndrome develops as a result of many different internal and external forces such as mind manipulation in psychological malpractice, severe trauma to the brain in the first few years of life, a traumatic experience, or even by forcing one’s self into believing an entirely made-up thought; however, seemingly healthy individuals can contract the syndrome without the slightest idea it is present.

In recent years there has been a hot debate between "repressed" vs. "false" memories. Neurobiological studies show that both suppression and recall and the creation of false memories are possible. This paper evaluates the evidence but forth by both sides of the controversy and concludes that both are feasible and separate phenomenon, which occur at significant rates in our society.

I recently watched a YouTube documentary that focused on both false testimonies by children and memory. Stephen Ceci, a psychologist, studies the accuracy of children's courtroom testimony, particularly in cases claiming physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect (Park Productions, 2012). In this documentary, he was called in court as an expert who studies children to state whether the child was telling the truth or dishonest. The cases he worked with were from the late 1980s to the 2000s. Psychologist Stephen Ceci, researched that children who are questioned using suggestible language are prone to implant the topic of question into their minds and will eventually become a false memory. There is one particular study in which he experimented

The main causes of false memories are sexual abuse, malpractice, or traumatic experiences. The symptoms of these events can cause a person to seep into deep depression, experience sleep problems and anxiety. Most people that have created false memories will not change their minds about the reality they have created, because it is to painful to face the

Is it even possible at all to recover forgotten memories? In some cases damage to the frontal lobe and cause confabulation, which can cause people to create false memory. According to the film “False Memories”, it depicts mostly ways people create false memories because of the influence of outside sources.

When should we use the implantation of false memories?
I feel like the use the implantation of false memories should only be used for a good cause, or positive outcome. For example, It could be used for an overweight child, who's parents want their child to become healthy and active. They could plant a false memory of the child enjoying running, so then the child could become active, and lose weight. I dont think false memories should be used as a common thing, it should be used for serious situations. I feel like it could really mess with peoples minds, which is never a good thing. People are who they are because of memory and the way they view things. Memory is a factor of our personality, and it is evil to take something like that away.

False Memories are fundamentally, unintended human errors, which results in people having memories of events and situations that did not actually occur. It’s worth noting that in humans there are both true and false memories, these false memories occur when a mental experience is incorrectly taken to be a representation of a past event. For example, when people are asked to describe something that happened at a particular time, people rarely deliver accurate answers. Based on research, in eyewitness testimony, the confidence people show while recalling

Every day a lot of information is processed by the Human brain and it is very difficult for people to remember all the information. Sometimes people tend to recollect certain memories or a particular event and can even swear it to be true but in reality, it is not entirely true. The memories tend to be distorted or slightly fabricated and there is no guarantee that a particular memory is correct in spite the person being confident. Such a psychological incident where a person recollects memories that did not occur is called false memory.

False memories include distorting features of events and situations or recalling facts and memories that never occurred at all (Roediger and McDermott, 1995).

Memory does not work like a video camera, smoothly recording every detail. Instead, memory is more of a constructive process. We remember the details that we find most important and relevant. Due to the reconstructive nature of memory, the assimilation of old and new information has the ability to cause vulnerable memories to become distorted. This is also known as the misinformation effect (Loftus, 1997). It is not uncommon for individuals to fill in memory gaps with what they assume they must have experienced. We not only distort memories for events that we have observed, but, we may also have false memories for events that never occurred at all. False memories are “often created by combing actual memories with suggestions received from