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False Memories

False Memories

False memories represent a cognitive distortion in which individuals recall events that did not happen, or remember them in an altered form. This phenomenon highlights the brain's constructive nature in processing and recalling memories, emphasizing that memory is not a perfect representation of past events but rather a dynamic reconstruction influenced by various factors.
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...

Traumatic Memory

Traumatic Memory

Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...

Autobiographical Memory

Autobiographical Memory

Autobiographical memory is a unique type of episodic memory that involves recollecting personal life experiences. It allows individuals to remember significant events from their past, creating a narrative of their lives. One interesting phenomenon related to autobiographical memory is the reminiscence bump. This effect refers to the tendency of adults to recall more events from their second and third decades of life — typically between ages 10 to 30 — than from other periods. This period is...

Repressed Memory

Repressed Memory

Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...

Explicit Memories

Explicit Memories

Explicit memories, also known as declarative memories, are consciously remembered, recalled, and reported. Studying for a chemistry exam involves material that will become part of explicit memory. There are two types of explicit memory: episodic and semantic.
Episodic memory contains information about personally experienced events and is reported as a story. An example of episodic memory is recalling a birthday celebration. This type of memory includes the what, where, and when of an event, as...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

True and intentionally fabricated memories.

Lucy V Justice¹, Catriona M Morrison, Martin A Conway

¹Department of Psychology, City University, Northampton Square, London, UK. martinconway1@me.com

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)

|November 10, 2012

Summary

True memories are more vivid and recalled from a first-person perspective, unlike fabricated memories which require more cognitive effort and are often from a third-person view. Both memory types stem from editing true memories.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Memory Research
Neuroscience

Background:

Understanding the distinction between genuine and false memories is crucial for legal and clinical applications.
Previous research has explored memory malleability, but the specific properties differentiating true from fabricated memories require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the underlying processes in the construction of truthful versus deliberately fabricated memories.
To compare the distinct properties of true memories and intentionally fabricated memories.

Main Methods:

Participants recalled and documented both true and fabricated everyday memories.
Memories were reported through writing or speaking, followed by comparative analysis.
Linguistic analysis was employed to assess cognitive effort in memory generation.

Main Results:

True memories were more vivid and predominantly recalled from a first-person perspective.
Fabricated memories were perceived as older, often recalled from a third-person perspective, and demanded greater cognitive effort.
Memory reporting modality (written vs. spoken) did not significantly impact findings.

Conclusions:

True and fabricated memories exhibit systematic, quantifiable differences in their properties.
Fabricated memories appear to be constructed by recalling and subsequently editing existing true memories.
These findings highlight the reconstructive nature of memory and the potential for intentional alteration.