Why do we remember events differently than they happened?

Question

I am a sociology/psychology student interested in finding out why we recall past events so differently than they occur, although I can't quite sum it all up in my mind. I am aware of constructionism, which is the theory that we are constantly shaping memories in our mind.

For instance, my friends and I had a beach house for two weeks which we all looked back on as the best time in our lives. When we talk about it we never remember the few fights we had while there, as they seem to have been forgotten and the only memory left is of good times. Does anyone have further thoughts on this phenomenon because I had hoped to write a paper on this subject and have no direction as of yet.

Answer 1

I do this all the time. I think we just pick out the main emotion and run with it. For example, i went to Warped Tour with some friends last year. It was around 100 degrees outside, i had a pouding headache, we ran out of money, i could barely walk by the end of the day, Etc. But when we talk about that day all we seem to bring up is how we met some of our favorite bands, we laughed the whole way there, we made new friends, we danced our butts off, we were on t.v...all that. We were happy, for the most part....So that is what we dwell on. If there was an experience in life that was mostly misery we tend to talk about that, not the few good thing that happened. We dwell on the most prominant emotion and build the story around that. That's my theory at least. :]

Answer 2

Memory is very interesting. I thought I'd show how eyewitness testimony suffers from being unreliable.

There are times that we recall events with strong emotional components incorrectly, to protect ourselves. Other times, when we don't remember all the details-we "fill in" the blanks with what we think might fit.

Some examples showing how the brain can "fill in details":

http://fawny.org/blog/images/Helvetica_9-5_675.jpg (sure, you see the "5", but the "9" isn't actually there. Your brain fills in the details)

http://z.about.com/d/painting/1/0/7/K/negativespace1.gif (a classic. Do you see a vase, or two faces? Your brain fills in the details).

Anyhow, on to some hard data:

Several studies have been conducted on human memory and on subjects’ propensity to remember erroneously events and details that did not occur. Elizabeth Loftus performed experiments in the mid-seventies demonstrating the effect of a third party’s introducing false facts into memory.4 Subjects were shown a slide of a car at an intersection with either a yield sign or a stop sign. Experimenters asked participants questions, falsely introducing the term "stop sign" into the question instead of referring to the yield sign participants had actually seen. Similarly, experimenters falsely substituted the term "yield sign" in questions directed to participants who had actually seen the stop sign slide. The results indicated that subjects remembered seeing the false image. In the initial part of the experiment, subjects also viewed a slide showing a car accident. Some subjects were later asked how fast the cars were traveling when they "hit" each other, others were asked how fast the cars were traveling when they "smashed" into each other. Those subjects questioned using the word "smashed" were more likely to report having seen broken glass in the original slide. The introduction of false cues altered participants’ memories.

Courts, lawyers and police officers are now aware of the ability of third parties to introduce false memories to witnesses.5 For this reason, lawyers closely question witnesses regarding the accuracy of their memories and about any possible "assistance" from others in the formation of their present memories. However, psychologists have long recognized that gap filling and reliance on assumptions are necessary to function in our society. For example, if we did not assume that mail will be delivered, or that the supermarkets will continue to stock bread, we would behave quite differently than we do. We are constantly filling in the gaps in our recollection and interpreting things we hear. For instance, while on the subway we might hear garbled words like "next," "transfer," and "train." Building on our assumptions and knowledge, we may put together the actual statement: "Next stop 53rd Street, transfer available to the E train." Indeed, we may even remember having heard the full statement.

Answer 3

There are so many waves crashing on the shore of the cabin where you guys stayed and had fun at. You do not consciously remember each one. Yet if the sound and sight entered your senses somewhere then must be the neurological waves reverberating through your brain at least. Where were you with this going on inside of you... amongst the so many other activities perceived or not at the conscious level where somewhere you happened to be off doing your thing. Is it any wonder than that each individual there had a similar thing happening and were just like you... (a bit out of it?) and playing this game called a bit out of it you all fantasize some strange transcendental thing like it must have been a spiritual thing or something. And it was. But buried deep down in all that miasma of electrochemical swashing there probably is some extra special spot where true transcendal happenings go on but between where you appear to be now, and there where all that you hope is going on within you at the moment is true, can only be interpreted as a... (bit out of it?)

Answer 4

Everyone sees an incident from their own point of view.

If several people witness a car accident, each person sees the same accident from a different point of view that is more outstanding to them than to the others.

Even in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all tell the same story but, emphasize different events.

Answer 5

I think that you're mind is constantly recieving new information all the time that it adds to, combines with and changes the information already in your mind. The mind is a changeable thing, our memories really are, too

Answer 6

You tend to remember only the good side of things. That's why so much history gets romanticized.