False Memories

[joesteph]

A lot of research had been done in the past by Dr. Elizabeth Loftus on "false memories." This is when a crystal clear "memory" is in your mind, but the event either never happened, or didn't happen that way.

Here's a recent example for me:

I've seen the 1951 "The Day the Earth Stood Still" several times in the past, though not for some years, now, and the boy "Bobby" gives "Klaatu" a tour of Washington, DC. One scene has them at the Lincoln Memorial. I remember that Klaatu remarked that this was the kind of man that he wanted to speak with, and that Bobby replied, "That's Abraham Lincoln." The effect it had on me was that the boy was, essentially, pointing out that there was only one Abraham Lincoln, and boy could we use another one.

But when I saw the movie twice again, recently, as the 2008 version is out now, no such statement was made by Bobby. Yet it's been so "real" in my mind over all these years, that it seemed as though it were "missing" from the original.

Have you ever discovered that something that you swear you remember, and remember well, almost vividly, was off the mark? Perhaps far off the mark? If you did, what do you think is the cause of a "false memory"? In my case, I think it was the impact of the movie scene that embellished it in my mind.

[Ranpu]

I've had memories like those, but I can figure out why, I even remember what didn't happen... it confuses me to no end

[Rateh]

I have a very clear memory of rear ending someone and then driving away. I also know that that is completely off character of me. I don't think it actually happened but because I remember it clearly I just can't be totally sure. I think I have this memory because I often think of negative senarios, and this is one that I thought of that stuck with me as an actual memory.

[joesteph]

I have a very clear memory of rear ending someone and then driving away. . . . I think I have this memory because I often think of negative senarios, and this is one that I thought of that stuck with me as an actual memory.

Interesting about a car accident "memory" that is likely false, Rateh . . .

A video was shown to a group of people of a staged car accident; I imagine it wasn't a serious one, but those who watched were on their guard for something to happen, and this fender-bender did. Immediately afterwards, people were given a "witness" check-off list of some length about it. One of the questions buried in the list was simply, "Did you see a broken headlight?" Twenty percent checked off that they had. However, half the group had the same list with a difference in that one question. It was, "Did you see the broken headlight?" Eighty percent checked off that they had.

Of course, as you might have guessed, there was no broken headlight in the car accident. The mere mention of "a" broken headlight likely caused a false memory; the more definite article "the" was strong enough to elicit a noticeable false memory response difference. I can imagine people making out these lists, reviewing the accident in their mind's eye, seeing either "a" or "the" broken headlight that never was.

Edited December 17, 2008 by joesteph

[white owl]

Interesting, I have had memory like this I can remember them so clearly and could swear that they are real.

[the beast]

I haven't really had anything like this but I have had dejavu where I dream of something happening or even a conversation and maybe a month goes by and I find myself having the same conversation word for word.(strange)

[KarateEd]

I have a few of these memories. In one, I remember, as a young kid (4 or 5ish) having a little silver car with the number "66" on the doors, but no one else in my family seems to remember this car.

[The BB of C]

I've done that before. Off the top of my head I can't remember any specifics. But I can tell you that to this day, my older sister (26-years-old) swears on her life that my mother promised her (when she was five) that when she was ten-years-old they would get her a pony (typical isn't it?).

[tori]

Did you ever wake up from a dream that was so vivid, you wonder if it really happened. I have had dreams where I have become so mad at someone, that when I actually saw them later, i was still mad.

[joesteph]

Did you ever wake up from a dream that was so vivid, you wonder if it really happened. I have had dreams where I have become so mad at someone, that when I actually saw them later, i was still mad.

Perhaps some false memories are rooted in dreams. There are those who say they don't dream, but we all go through dreams during the sleep cycles (four stages and REM, then it starts again). It seems to be the ones that occur closest to when we awake that we tend to remember.

I wonder if the more "practical" or "real-life" setting a dream is in, as opposed to one that is fantasy, gives it creater credence, and can be stored, locked within our memory, and comes out later as a false memory.