People Likely Aren’t as Susceptible to False Memories as Researchers Thought

How much can we trust our memories? We know that our mind keeps an imperfect record of the past. We can forget or misremember details with frustrating consequences. Our attention can be diverted in ways that make it all too easy to miss key events.

But a particularly disturbing idea suggests that we readily form false memories—that is, we can become convinced we experienced something that never actually occurred. This concept is often used to cast doubt on the reliability of a plaintiff’s testimony in a court case, suggesting it is easy to create false memories of entire events. For example, lawyers representing Harvey Weinstein cited this idea to raise questions about several women’s allegations against him.

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Scientific American