Remembering Your Imagination
By Jordan Grack
Have you ever thought of your earliest memory that you can remember? Many individuals may claim to remember their first memory at the age of one, two, or even a newborn. Research shows that these types of memories are most likely false, and our earliest memories range from three to three and a half years of age. (Many People's First Memories May Be Fictional). False memories are described as mental experiences that individuals believe are true and accurate but, in reality, are distinct recollections of something that never happened.
I can remember my first false memory, and it portrays the time when I was first born. I can remember my mom and dad in the room while I was being taken care of by the hospital staff while they were talking to each other. This is about all that I am able to recall from that time. It is interesting to think about because the next memory that I truly can remember is going to Chuck-E-Cheese for my sixth birthday, which is six whole years later than the memory of when I was born. Thinking back on the memory in the hospital and how I was able to recall those events is pretty hard for a newborn to do, leading me to think that I created my own false memory. Creating your own false memories can be a common thing for individuals to do based on their environment and life experiences.
Memory is an interesting concept about the human brain and how it relates to the understanding of ourselves and our environment. Individuals may have many memories, but how do they know they are real and not imaginary? Understanding long-term memory can be difficult but can be simplified into two categories: episodic and semantic memory. These are terms used in memory to describe how individuals remember certain skills and events that have happened in the past. Martin-Ordas et al. (2012), define these terms as, “semantic memory is our database of knowledge about the world, including words, objects, places, and people, and their inter-relationships. In contrast, episodic memory was defined as a memory for ‘temporally dated episodes or events; and the temporal-spatial relations’ among them (Martin-Ordas, et al., 2012). These types of memories help us navigate our world and remember past experiences to help us later on as we continue to live within our environment. False memories can be created through our understanding of confabulation and source confusion. Confabulation denotes the emergence of memories of experiences and events that never took place. Source confusion is the way for individuals to forget the source of information and misattribute it to their own memory and experiences (MIB, pg. 3-4). Relating this back to my false memory, I have come to realize that confabulation and source confusion both take place, which is why I was able to create that memory of me in the hospital. This memory tends to lack great detail, along with showing that I can create a false memory with the use of confabulation and source confusion. The difference between this false memory and a real memory I have is between the amount of detail and accurate information there is. For example, I can remember that time when I was six and went to Chuck-E-Cheese where I was able to eat pizza with my friends, get tokens to play in the arcade, and also take the tickets I won to claim different prizes, showing it is a real memory, compared to the false memory and the lack of detail that I have of being born in the hospital.
Now, think back to when I asked if you could remember the first memory you ever had. You might be questioning whether that memory was false and your imagination or if it is a real memory. To dive deeper into false memories, there are many more aspects of how they can be created, which include inaccurate perception, inference, emotions, misinformation, misattribution, and fuzzy tracing. I was able to provide a surface level of understanding of false memory and helped establish what false memories are, how they are created, and finally, the differences between false and real memories, including episodic and semantic. Memory can be different for everyone and can also be deceiving to us individuals as we live our lives, but with more research and insight, we will be able to explain more differences, just like how research has found false memories to be true. This has allowed for a deeper explanation in our memory of what is imaginary and what is real.
References
Cherry, K. (2023, May 10). How your brain can create false memories. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-false-memory-2795193
Cherry, K. (2023, December 28). How false memories are formed. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-do-false-memories-form-2795349
Martin-Ordas, G., Atance, C. M., & Louw, A. (2012). The role of episodic and semantic memory in episodic foresight. Learning and Motivation, 43(4), 209-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2012.05.011
Squires, S. (2024). Understanding false memories in parental alienation: Download the Essential Guide. Get Court Ready. https://getcourtready.co.uk/blog/understanding-false-memories-in-parental-alienation-download-the-essential-guide
Shaw, J. (2016). The Memory Illusion. Penguin Random House UK. [book]
V, L., & M, C. (2018, July 18). Many people’s earliest memories may be fictional. Association for Psychological Science - APS. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/many-peoples-earliest-memories-may-be-fictional.html