I tested Aaron's ability to recall memories by reading two lists of words to him, then asking him to write down as many words as he could remember. The lists are as follows:
Given List #1
Given List #2
Aaron's First List
Aaron's Second List
Thoughts...
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| Thumbs up with Aaron Hunt! |
By taking look at the given lists and the lists written by Aaron, you may have picked up on a few interesting insights.
In the first list, Aaron was able to recall the first and last words. These are prime examples of the "primacy" effect (remembering the first item of a sequence) and the "recency" effect (remembering the most recent item of a sequence).
In the second list, you can see that Aaron wrote down a few words that were not even on the list! He added the words "Sleep" and "Pillow" (not "Snooze" like I had accidentally stated in the video... whoops!).
This is an exhibition of the "false memory" effect (a fabricated memory that distorts someone's view of reality). This effect can be minor (remembering a word that was not said, remembering an item being in a different place than it is, etc...) or it can be serious (believing oneself was abused by someone else when they were not, believing oneself has committed a crime when they have not, etc...).
It is clear that memory can be both helpful and harmful for understanding the world around us. It can aid in having a recollection of the past, but it can also warp our perceptions of history and the present.
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