False memories are common among many people. They are founded on the distorted or fabricated recollection of an event or an occurrence. Memory, in contrast to what many may think, is prone or vulnerable to fallacy (Oliver & Bays, 2016). Individuals can express confidence in their memory being accurate, but this does not guarantee the memory’s correctness. The major cause of false memories happens to be misinformation and in some instances the misattribution of the original information source. The existing memories and information may also influence the formation of new memory, bringing about the recollection of an occurrence to be mistaken.
Jim’s case, the false memory might have been conjured through distorted information surrounding his childhood. Therefore on realizing the false nature of the memories, Jim ought to carry out a background check on the time that has elapsed between when he believes the event occurred and his current situation. This is because the more the time has lapsed, the more an individual tends to create room for false memories. If Jim had been interviewed and his memories recorded early in his childhood, the memories would have been less likely to be influenced by possible misinformation.
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To put into perspective the actual events from Jim’s memories, the recollection process may be fostered by the use of imagery and consultation. In Jim’s case, he can be provided with vivid imagery of his childhood to enable him to qualify whether his flashbulb moment was true or false. These images may be drawn from the family album indicating various items that may trigger actual memories which Jim may opt to use to evaluate the false memories. According to Oliver and Bays (2016), imager decreases the incidence of false memories, especially during an immediate recall. Imagery effectively carries strong memory traces for past stored information. The authors further note that individuals ought to create detailed images with distinct elements to aid the avoidance of the endorsement of false memories.
Jim has also to understand the errors in the false memories. Obviously, Jim was not aware of his false recollections. The vividness of these recollections may make him very resistant to change. According to Mullet and Marsh (2015), such a scenario may be replicated where “two individuals claim a memory as their own, despite knowing that the event could only have happened to one of them 9disputed memories)”. In many cases, individuals may fail to notice the false memories even when countered by the correct version of the recollections from trustworthy sources. The provision of correct information should be through immediate feedback after the error is committed. In short, an individual should be drawn to the specific errors observed in confessed memories. Once an individual such as Jim acknowledges the fallacy, he may move on to absorb the correct information. The correct information is critical in creating a foundation for understanding how best to avoid false memories.
While trying to understand false memories and how to avert them, it is prudent to establish their implications on one’s life. These memories may be inconsequential or may have serious effects. An insignificant scenario is where one forgets that he or she left her keys in the bedroom while he or she is convinced that they are indeed in the living room (Mullet & Marsh, 2015). The false memories, on the other hand, may have grave consequences, especially in criminal cases. Individuals may provide information to the authorities based on the false memories hence leading to untrue convictions. Unknowingly, this may trigger a chain of events which may suck in even innocent parties who may end up bearing the brunt of one’s distorted recollections.
References
Mullet, H. G., & Marsh, E. J. (2015). Correcting false memories: Errors must be noticed and replaced. Memory & Cognition , 44 (3), 403-412. doi:10.3758/s13421-015-0571-x
Oliver, M. C., Bays, R. B., & Zabrucky, K. M. (2016). False memories and the DRM paradigm: effects of imagery, list, and test type. The Journal of General Psychology , 143 (1), 33-48. doi:10.1080/00221309.2015.1110558
