What's Up Docs? What should we do about false memories?
Oct 28, 2025
Dr. Linda Henkel, a Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, dives into the intriguing world of false memories. She explains how vivid but incorrect recollections can form through plausible imagination and the brain's source monitoring errors. Discussion covers how quickly these memories can develop and why some individuals are more susceptible to them. Henkel also shares practical tips to enhance memory accuracy, like collaborating with a friend and taking notes, while emphasizing the importance of accepting the fallibility of our memories.
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Childhood Concert Memory That Wasn't Real
- Dr Linda Henkel vividly remembers a childhood trombone fall she never actually witnessed.
- Her mother corrected her and this mismatch launched her interest in false memories.
Memory Sources Blur Together
- Memories can come from perception, imagination, or inference and the brain stores them similarly.
- This lack of source tags creates vivid but potentially false recollections.
Vividness Doesn't Guarantee Accuracy
- Flashbulb memories feel vivid and durable but still change over time.
- People stay confident in altered recollections despite objective discrepancies.