Sources
Based on information from False memory.
4 slides · 2 min read
False Memory: How Questions Change What You Remember
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A Single Word Can Rewrite a Memory
You can watch the same car crash as everyone else and still remember it differently because of one verb. Ask whether the cars smashed instead of hit, and memory can start to shift.
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The Question Plants the Scene
When people were asked about cars that smashed into each other, they gave higher speed estimates than people who heard softer words. Later, more of them even remembered broken glass that was never there.
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Memory Does Not Just Replay
The wording of a question can feed new details into recall. Even tiny choices like asking about the stop sign instead of a stop sign can push people to remember something that may not have been there.
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Your Brain Fills In the Story
Memory is reconstructive, not a perfect recording. Sometimes the story feels vivid not because it is accurate, but because the language around it gave the memory a new shape.
