False Memories

[Brendon Fulton]

Knowing what we now know about how memory has the capacity (or tendency) to "fill in gaps":

• Why do you think this happens?
  
• Give an example of when this has happened to you.
  

[cooka003]

I think this happens to help us fill all the details we've experienced but didn't concentrate on into distinct situations in essence it fills the gaps of what only went into our short term memory rather than our long term by use of us effectively imagining the experience and filling in what our emotions may have been what we may have been wearing etc therefore using real memories information and emotions to create false memory.

I'm not sure when or if I've experienced it but I believe that's probably because nobody really knows when we have created a false memory unless they have a video of the event they've remembered.

[Edward Dent]

False Memories happen because memories are needed for us to be our own person and if we do not have fully formed memory of events then our brain will fill in the gaps for us in order for us to have a fully developed personality

[georgecummings]

I think this happens to us because our memories make us who we are so if we didnt have full memories of our events in our life then it would change us, and as long as we know the main purpose of the childhood memory it really doesnt matter if our brain changes what we we're wearing or changes or the way we looked.

I to be honest cant remember a memory that is false in my life mayb thats because i havent really deeply thought about a memory which could be false but the only way you can tell if a memory is false is having a picture proof of the event, so most people would'nt know.

[Mr Bausor]

Some valid points here. What about dreams? Has anyone ever thought that they have done something and then realised that it was actually a dream? [/color]

[George Albanese]

I think this happens because our memory will fill in the gaps through association in order to produce a full memory. Full memories are needed in order to make us who we are.

I'm not aware of any false memories I've produced as it is almost impossible to determine if a memory is false without having photographic or video evidence.

[fahad16]

Our brain fills in gaps because it wants us to remember so we have a personality. It does this when we are in doubt of a memory.

[justine]

I think this happens because our minds sometimes finds it hard to retrieve the right information so our memory has to fill in the blanks for us.

I do not think that this has happened to me, obviously it has,but i just don't seem to think of any.

[jameshay1994]

I think the brain "fills in the gaps" in order us to create long term or even short term memorys, which therefore creates personality as memorys makes who we are. So i think the brain does this so it makes us who we are today.

I probably have experienced this as every human does, but, it is hard for us to know this without video or picture proof as the brain has probably made up what actually hasnt happened.

[mikey]

i think our brain 'fills in the gaps' for us to recreate memories we did not fully attend to at the time they took place. our memory makes us who we are, and without our brain filling in some gaps we have in our memories we would not be who we are today.

To be honest i think i have quite a good memory, and dont believe my brain has filled in any gaps, but it most likely has filled in some gaps and i believe the made up memories that much.

[leewilliam]

i think that our brain 'fills in the gaps' in our memories so that we can recreate them even thought we may not at the time have attended to them, if the brain wasn't able to do this then we would have gaps in our memory and we wouldn't be who we are today.

i probably have experienced this but wasn't aware at the time as it is hard for us to know if we have had a false memory without having proof such as pictures or videos.

[tim]

False memory is a way the brain keeps itself sane and working properley. By creating false memorys, it fills in gaps to componsate on thinkgs the memory doesnt record. You are not capable of conciously knowing whether your mind is making up false memorys as you mind does this automaticly.

Tim Delaney

[matt]

False memory is when the brain fills in the gaps of your memories to compensate for things you may have forgotten in life.

Matt Elrick

[adnan]

False memory is when you brain cant remember your past,so it fill in the gaps.For example a in a crime scene you will be asked for a eyewitness, they ask you how did the suspect look like.The brain then makes false memory of how the suspect looks like. In which case your are giving incorrect details.

[rogem005]

i think this happens to help keep all your memories. If you only know chunks of it there is more chance of you forgetting it so the brain fills in gaps to make it a continuos story that you will be able to remember.