False memory

False Memory

False memory (/fɔːls ˈmɛməri/) is a psychological phenomenon where a person recalls something that did not happen or recalls it differently from the way it actually happened.

Etymology

The term "false memory" is derived from the English words "false", meaning not true or incorrect, and "memory", which refers to the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.

Definition

False memory is a mental experience that is mistakenly taken to be a veridical representation of an event from one's personal past. Memories can be false in relatively minor ways (e.g., believing one last saw the keys in the kitchen when they were in the living room) and in major ways that have profound implications for oneself and others (e.g., mistakenly believing one is the originator of an idea or that one was sexually abused as a child).

Causes

False memories can be caused by a number of factors, including misinformation effect, source confusion, suggestion, and reconstructive memory.

Misinformation effect is when the memory is distorted by misleading post-event information.
Source confusion refers to the inability to distinguish the original source of information.
Suggestion can influence the creation of false memories by suggesting that a particular event occurred when it did not.
Reconstructive memory is a theory of memory recall, in which the act of remembering is influenced by various other cognitive processes including perception, imagination, semantic memory and beliefs, amongst others.

Related Terms

Confabulation is a memory error defined as the production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world, without the conscious intention to deceive.
Deja vu is the feeling that one has lived through the present situation before.
Cryptomnesia is a form of misattribution where a memory is mistaken for imagination.
Mandela Effect is a phenomenon where a large group of people remember something differently than how it occurred.