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memory
Your memories are rewritten by questions asked after the event.
The misinformation effect demonstrates that memory is a reconstructive process, and post-event information can significantly alter the accuracy of eyewitness reports.
While the 1974 Loftus and Palmer study shows that phrasing affects memory reports, whether the original memory is permanently lost or simply obscured by new information is a debated topic in cognitive psychology.
You are currently trusting a memory that has been modified every time you talk about it.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Loftus and Palmer, 1974, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior
- What the check found
- The study shows that post-event information influences memory reports, but it does not conclusively prove the original memory is permanently destroyed or lost.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.