Memory Distortion And False Memory

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Memory Distortion

Although most of what we acquire or experience is forgotten, it is perchance more interesting that what we do recall is not constantly veridical. Research on memory distortion and false memory has essential implications for real-life problems; for instance, to what degree would we be able to believe the memory of a court witness? How consistent is the memory of child’s traumatic event that is recuperated years later through psychotherapy? These inquiries concern the precision of what one recalls, rather than the amount. Two of the basic principles that can be used to clarify various memory distortions and false memory phenomena are: First, what individuals recall depends on what really happened, as well as on useful and …show more content…

Memories of witnessed events tend to be intense and include perceptual detail than imagined events. Hence, distinctiveness heuristic may be used by individuals to screen out false memories, based on the awareness that the memory of true events should include recollection of distinctive features (Douglas, & Steblay 2006). Correspondingly, when the demands for accuracy are strong, the individual might intentionally recruit other corroborative data that helps prove the source of the recovered occurrences, or adopt a moderately strict principle for reporting the …show more content…

Yet, is human memory truly as defective as it appears? In the first place, though some kinds of memory faults may appear to reflect defects in the ‘system design’, they are in deed by-products of generally versatile characteristics of memory. In this way, for instance, recalling the main points yet forgetting the aspects of stories and occasions, or gathering data not generally available in the input, is regularly what is required, in every day circumstances. Second, when harmful memory errors happen, they seem to come from the same memory forms that typically guide precise remembering. Hence, even though schema-based inferences are occasionally incorrect, they are most likely frequently right – supposing that occasions that happen in the world normally are consistent with our expectations and general knowledge. Even though it’s normal for memory researchers to concentrate on the "dark" side of memory in trying to comprehend the reasons for distortion and forgetting, it is outstanding how much data individuals do recall, most of which are right or even helpful (Pansky, Koriat, & Goldsmith, 2005). Several functions of memory are expressed in social and personal unity. Hence, for instance, our memories are essential means in simplifying our connections with one another (reminiscing, and story telling) and protecting a sense of self. Such objectives

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