Constructing Fake Memories and Forgetting Real Ones
Constructed Memories
In the 1980’s and 1990’s “recovered memories” were big headlines. Individuals claim suddenly to remember events that have been “repressed” for years, often in the process of therapy. Parents have been accused of molesting and even killing children based on these recovered memories. Sometimes these recovered memories have been corroborated with physical evidence and justice was served. Other times, they have been discovered to have been fabricated- constructed recollections of events. A constructed memory can report false details of a real event or might even be a recollection of an event that never occurred.
Memory researcher, Elizabeth Loftus, 
showed us that leading questions can easily influence us to recall false details, and questioners can create an entirely new memory by repeatedly asking insistent questions. Constructed memories feel like accurate memories to the person recalling them. The only way to tell the difference is to find other types of evidence to back up or refute the memory. In other words, because of the work by Elizabeth Loftus, we realize that it is really hard to tell the difference between a real and constructed memory.
Forgetting
It is inevitable, we forget things. Sometimes we forget things because the memories decay, or we do not use the memory or connections to that memory for a long time. This type of forgetting often happens before an AP exam if you have not reviewed. Let’s say you learn neuroscience in September but stop using those memories until the AP in may. Your knowledge of neural structures will probably have decayed. But the good news is that if the memory existed in the first place, relearning the material occurs MUCH more quickly the second time (and even more quickly the third). This is called the relearning effect.
Another factor that causes forgetting is interference. Sometimes other information in your memory competes with what you are trying to recall. There are two types of interferences:
- Retroactive interference: Learning new information interferes with the recall of old information. You learn a new locker combination and now cannot remember last years combination.
- Proactive interference: Older information learned previously interferes with the recall of information learned more recently. You call your new girlfriend/boyfriend your old one’s name.