Pathways / Memory and Its Errors
Memory and Its Errors
How memory is built, and why even vivid memories can mislead.
10 steps · roughly 30 minutes to read · Reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA
Encoding
Encoding transforms experience into memory.
Memory Consolidation
Memories strengthen over time.
Retrieval Practice
Memory grows through use.
Working Memory
Your brain can only actively hold a limited amount of information at one time.
Von Restorff Effect
The item that's different from its neighbors is the one we recall.
Misinformation Effect
What we hear afterward can quietly rewrite a memory.
Source Monitoring
We can remember something clearly yet confuse where it came from.
Flashbulb Memory
Emotional shock creates memories that feel exact but aren't.
Proactive Interference
What you already knew intrudes on what you're trying to learn.
Retroactive Interference
Recent information crowds out what you learned before.