Articles & Advice
Try to Recollect Our Childhood
We may think that we can recall peering out of your pram, taking your first steps, even speaking out the first word. It is scientifically accepted that autobiographical memories are possible only after the age of three.
So how could we remember these impossible events?
Fragments Become A Memory
We heard a story from our parents, seen photos taken in our childhood. These are just like puzzles. We collected them, connected them and created a memory which is fictional. But we believe it is true.
According to the brain scans, the neural activity for false memories in adults looks similar to the activity for a real memory and involves the same regions of the brain, including the hippocampus.
Our Memories Are Reconstructions
In some degree, all our memories are reconstructions. Rather than re-experiencing an event, we reconstruct it based on representations stored in our brains. What seems to happen in the brain is that when we reactivate these representations, they become malleable and can be modified.
This allows us to update our memory representations and link them to new, similar events. It also means that our memories change over time.
