It's silly that people claim to have memories of when they were only a few months old!?

Question

A girl asked a now resolved question a while back that asked about earliest memories. I was stunned at how many people claimed to have memories of when they were a few weeks or months old. One girl claimed to remember sitting on her mums shoulders at 3 months old. It's impossible and it really annoyed me that she won the best answer. I believe the mind doesn't develop enough to have memories until 2-3 years of age and Im going to research this but would love to hear what others thing. I know that if you have seen photos of experiences when you were very young later on you may think they are memories but they aren't, it's just a memory of the photo you saw...my earliest memories are of around 3 years old. This annoyed me so much that people wrote such rubbish that I wanted to get feedback from others.

PS - you would be physically unable to sit on your mothers shoulders at 3 months old, no baby that young could do that without being seriously injured! Im a childcare worker and a mum and I know thats ridiculous!

Answer 1

"What are false memories? Because of the reconstructive nature of memory, some memories may be distorted through influences such as the incorporation of new information. There are also believed-in imaginings that are not based in historical reality; these have been called false memories, pseudo-memories and memory illusions. They can result from the influence of external factors, such as the opinion of an authority figure or information repeated in the culture. An individual with an internal desire to please, to get better or to conform can easily be affected by such influences."

Memory is unreliable, but you can't blame someone for being fooled by their own brain.

Answer 2

I don't know about that girl, And you are right she would have had to had been at least 3 years old to sit on her mother's shoulders. I however do have a real memory of myself at 6 months whoich has been verified.

I remember the first car accident I was in, I remember details such as being in a soft sided basket (the old 70's style foam with the fabric cover) I was in the front seat floorboard and I was playing with what I now know to be a stereo wire bundle.

I remember feeling like I was going to tip over (laying on my back)
I remember screaming and 2 people fighting, and I remember it scared me and I began crying.

That is my whole memory. The rest was filled in by my biological mother when I met her at 17.

Her and my biological father were driving straight through the 10+ hour drive from Knoxville Tennessee, and Culpeper Virginia. I was in a basket in the front seat floorboard, playing with wires under the glovebox (trying to, I coulln't reach them) Edward (biodad) fell asleep behind the wheel and sideswiped a guardrail and went into a ditch. And that sparked an argumet between the two of them which had gotten me started crying.

Now Infant memories are real, but I believe they must be accompanied by some kind of traumatic experience. most happy childhood memories fade over time, but scarry ones tend to stick around.

Now I met my biological mother at the age of 17, I was adopted at 3 yrs old, and was not a passenger of another accident until my teen years, and I was a cause of most of them.

Is this real or rubbish? I think most people are out for attention, and others mistake later childhood experiences for being earlier. I happened to be a rare case, I remembered an experience and later met someone who was able to confirm it. I don't think that happens all that often. I have no other memories before the age of 3 or 4. just that one.

The short answer is (in theory): A traumatic experience can spark the creation of new memories even in some infants (if traumatic enough to the infant). It is rare, and the infant must be experiencing true fright.

Answer 3

I think it depends on the family and if they shared the memories with them when they were still young and soakin it all up.. for example.. a little girl could be talking to her gramps and he says "oh sweetie, I remember when you were only a couple of months old and I had to watch you for mommy and you said this or blah blah that .." it's hieghtened memory that the person remembers hearing and therefore the older they get the less they remembered being told.. and think that they remember it actually happening..


ME- I can remember almost every IMPORTANT detail in my life.. like my first plane ride.. I remember being on teh plane the food.. getting to listen to my walkman (my first sony) and then meeting my great grandpa when we landed.. and that was when I was 1 1/2 and my mom still is shocked when i remember something she doesn't think I could ever possibly remember...

so I guess it could be possible.. wonder if anyone has acutally researched it.. HHMM maybe you should since you thought it up

Answer 4

This question came up in my sociology class. When the prof. asked for our earliest memories. Many people came with memories that were very hard to believe. What you notice is that in everyone of those memories have another person in it. A mother, a father, or another sibling. I believe that the person with the memory, as my prof. said simply develops the memory after being told the story many times.

Answer 5

Maybe you are correct. I remember when I was 2 months old riding my first Horse, I remember dad telling me when I was 1 month I would have to wait until I was 2 months before I could ride alone. Hmmm? Maybe that was 1 and 2 YEARS old. Ha!!! I really not remember! ;-)
Actually I can remember some things when I was very young, but, could not really say how old I was. Some things my Mom Remember where we lived then so it give a close date to go by, Maybe 2-3 years to be realistic.

Answer 6

I knew a guy who claims he remembers the time he was born. He recalls just an impression of doctors and his parents in the delivery room. And he was totally serious. Hey, some people claim to remember past lives! That's pretty far back. Unless you are a neurobio expert, how can you know the other respondant was lying? She could have been held up on her mom's shoulders.

The mind is a powerful instrument...

Answer 7

I do not know the answer to whether or not you can have memories of such a young age, but I do not have any memories of my own from before age 4 or 5. But from hearing stories and seeing pictures, I know what happened before then, but no real memories. Maybe that's just me, and maybe I was just slow!

Answer 8

My first memory is of me crawling on the floor I remember the shaggy carpet. I remember my ronald mcdonald doll me in the crib and the screaming of my parents. they fought a lot my fathers was abusive to my mother. My mom says I was about 1 year old when I describe those memories. I believe we can have little memories of things that seem imposible because of the age. I can only speak of what I know.

Answer 9

I think you're pretty arrogant and ignorant.

I have memories from that age, myself. So unless you're a infant brain researcher (and even maybe then) you have no clue what's "possible" and what's not.

And as far as people who think that memories come from stories told, that's a crock too. It is possible that happens to some people, but if the memories HAVE no story, just images with colors, shapes, and light, smells, sounds, and touch with textures, they are probably real.

I have a memory of being held by my father at a few months old. I remember being able to understand some of what he was saying to me, but not being able to speak or walk. I remember the horrible feeling of his stubbled face. I remember the color and texture of the fabric of the chair, and the interesting conical shapes of the columnar lamp behind it.

This is one of several that I have. No stories involved, just sensations and the desires to do things I was not yet capable of.

Answer 10

My earliest memory was when I was 3. I think it is impossible to remember anything too much longer before that. Your brain is still developing and your memory lobes are not fully functional. That is why it takes so long to learn how to speak fully too. I think language and memory are intertwined. I agree with you that people cannot remember that far back.