False Memories (LLSN! May 2012) Part 1 of 2

False Memory:

1. A memory which is a distortion of an actual experience,
or
2. a confabulation of an imagined experience.

(Word of the day: confabulation. A confabulation is a fantasy that has unconsciously emerged as a factual account in memory, in many cases a result of 'filling in the gaps' in a person's memory.

This happens because we, as humans, have memory based on experiences. These experiences could have happened at any time, either before, during or after the initial memory is formed. It happens when someone hears additional information or has a new experience, and then they end up using it to fill the gaps in their own memory. - Source

 Just one example can be infant memories. The left inferior prefrontal lobe is undeveloped in infants, but is required for long-term memory. But, at what age, exactly, does our true real long term memory kick in?

http://skepdic.com/falsememory.html says not until age 3.
Harvard Gazette says it starts at around 8-12 months.
12-18 months seems to come up the most.
So there you have it; about 1 year.

What age is your earliest memory from? Do you believe it is a real long term memory, or a false memory, influenced perhaps by a photo?


More on infant memory coming soon!

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Bugs Bunny