False memories can form within seconds, study finds
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Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#2This pretty much defeats the strategy of writing a diary to make sure I don't get tangled up in false memories.
It can still mitigate some of it, of course, but I still find it a bit unnerving that even my short term memory is prone to making stuff up. Before, I had always imagined that this phenomenon was strictly related to the retrieval process of long term memories, and could therefore be avoided by writing things down the day they happened.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#3Memory can change the shape of a room. It can change the color of a car. Memories can be distorted. But they're irrelevant if you have the facts.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#4This pretty much defeats the strategy of writing a diary to make sure I don't get tangled up in false memories. It can still mitigate some of it, of course, but I still find it a bit unnerving that even my short term memory is prone to making stuff up. Before, I had always imagined that this phenomenon was strictly related to the retrieval process of long term memories, and could therefore be avoided by writing thing…
A few things that might help to reassure you:
* No doubt you are still making a great improvement compared to simply relying on your memory.
* Although the experimental result is framed in terms of "false memories", I interpret it as "seeing what your brain expected to see". This is nothing new!
* It is worth recording your perceptions even if they're clouded by your expectations and preconceptions. You're recording your conscious experience. This is a valuable thing.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#5Interesting article, especially from here onwards -
"According to Otten, the findings—published Wednesday in PLOS One—indicate that our memory starts being shaped almost immediately by our preconceptions"
Though, it looks little far fetched making big conclusions on the basis of experiments that is basically about remembering letters.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#6Just wait until someone figures out how to exploit this -- it will be the human-form version of spectre/meltdown.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#7IMO the test subjects are not recalling false memories; they are generating what they believe to have occurred and this is different.
The event is non-meaningful so the brain doesn’t record/file every detail about the experience; this of course would be different per individual.
Shocking the individual or tying an emotional response to the event may make it meaningful but probably won’t translate to the brain on its importance.
We are creatures of habit and instinct and if a human was to be trained on the importance of letter/pattern order recognition from an early age, they would most be more effective than a person who has ruled out the importance of such an experience or event.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#8IMO the test subjects are not recalling false memories; they are generating what they believe to have occurred and this is different. The event is non-meaningful so the brain doesn’t record/file every detail about the experience; this of course would be different per individual. Shocking the individual or tying an emotional response to the event may make it meaningful but probably won’t translate to the brain on its…
“Generating what they believe to have occurred” sounds like another way of saying “false memory”. What am I missing?
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#9IMO the test subjects are not recalling false memories; they are generating what they believe to have occurred and this is different. The event is non-meaningful so the brain doesn’t record/file every detail about the experience; this of course would be different per individual. Shocking the individual or tying an emotional response to the event may make it meaningful but probably won’t translate to the brain on its…
“Generating what they believe to have occurred” sounds like another way of saying “false memory”. What am I missing?
I'm not a neurologist but...I think it's a three (or more) step process. The basic version:
- Store it.
- Sitting in storage
- Recall it.
With each subject to imperfections. For example, recall doesn't find something in storage so it "fills in the blanks".
The mind is not a machine. It's got plenty of quirks.
Re: False memories can form within seconds, study finds
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
“Generating what they believe to have occurred” sounds like another way of saying “false memory”. What am I missing?
I'm not a neurologist but...I think it's a three (or more) step process. The basic version: - Store it. - Sitting in storage - Recall it. With each subject to imperfections. For example, recall doesn't find something in storage so it "fills in the blanks". The mind is not a machine. It's got plenty of quirks.
it's very much a machine though, just happens to be the most complex one we know of, so far!
and considering that it's got pretty great manufacturing precision, tolerances, and MTBF :)