A few seemingly harmless routes to a false memory
Abstract
Since the invention of photography we have learned to rely on photos to help us remember significant moments in our lives. We have come to believe that photographs are accurate and valuable records of events that-years down the track-we may not be able to remember. In this paper, we review recent research demonstrating that photographs can also help us to "remember" events that never really happened. We trace the development of the leading false autobiographical memory paradigm, and we then describe research on the power of both fake narrative stories and fake photographs to cultivate false memories.
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The human mind actively produces visual autobiographical evidence through photographs, but also modifies it through pictures.
“The human mind actively produces visual autobiographical evidence through photographs, but also modifies it through pictures-cutting off estranged spouses or throwing away depressing images of themselves when they were still seriously overweight.”
From Digital photography: communication, identity, memory (2008) · cites this paper as Strange, Gerrie and Garry, 2005
People are easily seduced into creating false memories of their pasts on the basis of unaltered and doctored pictures.
“Research has shown that people are also easily seduced into creating false memories of their pasts on the basis of unaltered and doctored pictures.”
From Digital photography: communication, identity, memory (2008) · cites this paper as Strange, Gerrie and Garry, 2005
Cites
Clark, A., & Chalmers, D. (1998) · Analysis · doi:10.1093/analys/58.1.7 · Cited by 5,457 · see citing works
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Digital photography: communication, identity, memory
van Dijck, J. (2008) · Visual Communication · doi:10.1177/1470357207084865 · Cited by 508 · see citing works
Nonprobative photos rapidly lead people to believe claims about their own (and other people’s) pasts
Cardwell, B. A., Henkel, L. A., Garry, M., Newman, E. J., & Foster, J. L. (2016) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-016-0603-1 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Strange, D., Gerrie, M. P., & Garry, M.
- Affiliations
- Victoria University of Wellington (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Garry, Maryanne
- ORCID
- Garry, Maryanne
- Venue
- Cognitive Processing
- Published
- 2005-08-17
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 237-242
- ISSN
- 1612-4782 (ISSN-L)
- 1612-4790
- OpenAlex
- W1996242486
- Cited by
- 25
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Cognitive Processing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Royal Society
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Marsden Fund
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- false memory, autobiographical memory, photographs, narrative stories, memory distortion, leading questions
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