Inaccurate Perceptions And Illusions

In the article, it discusses how a flexible memory can have consequences for inaccurate perceptions and illusions. Memories are flexible because of the capability to create and imagine different scenarios. People can reconstruct false memories to predict the future, which can generate misleading conclusions. For instance, when remembering a past event, studies have shown that people will use some aspect of their own memories to anticipate their hypothetical futures. Memories can be rearranged when people use patterns and cues used to recall them. Also, when someone remember an event, there is a personal bias where the memory has happened the way the person wants it to. An emotional bias is compelled when recalling memories. This is known as a ‘positivity bias” in which a person tends to remember the emotional aspect of what occurred during an event than to what actually happened. People have this “positivity bias” in their
People have vivid imaginations and expandable creativity, which gives them the ability to create their own memories. As the article talked about how people rearrange their memories is similar to when the lecture mentioned the reconsolidation of memories. When people recall their long-term memories, they turn into unstable short term memories. During this process of reconsolidation, long term memories can be altered by adding, editing, or removing specific information. After editing, the memory is brought back to long-term storage. This explains why when people are describing their memories, they change every time they are recalled. When the article explained how people use some parts of their memory to predict their future, it related to the topic of cognitive thinking. Memories can be used as a way of fast-thinking, meaning people can use their memories of past experiences as a guidance of the present and