|
||
Definition: The human brain is not a tape recorder and our memories do not retain every bit of information we are exposed to and every event which we experience. Instead, the brain only actively retains the most important and salient features of what we experience, that being judged by subjective and unconscious criteria.
This means that, when we attempt to recount something which happened in the past, it is not like playing back a tape but is rather a creative process. The brain "fills in" the features which were not retained, based upon prejudice and experience. Thus, what we expect to be true and what we want to be true can readily influence what we remember to have been true. This process of "filling in" is known as confabulation. It is not an act of deliberate deception, but instead is a natural result of how our memories work. This is why eye witnesses for a crime are kept "pure" and away from information which might taint their testimony - and why, despite this, eye witnesses are the weakest form of evidence in a trial.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Atheism?
The definition of atheism causes many people problems. Too often, people have the wrong idea of what atheism really is and what atheists really believe.What is Agnosticism?
Misunderstandings about agnosticism are just as frequent as misunderstandings about atheism.
