- Around 50% of us are susceptible to believing we’ve experienced fictitious events, University of Warwick research finds
- False memory study included over 400 people
- Raises questions around the authenticity of memories used in forensic investigations, court rooms.
- Misinformation in the news can create incorrect collective memories, affecting behaviour and attitudes of society.
Many people are prone to ‘remembering’ events that never happened, according to new research by the University of Warwick.
In a study on false memories, Dr Kimberley Wade in the Department of Psychology demonstrates that if we are told about a completely fictitious event from our lives, and repeatedly imagine that event occurring, almost half of us would accept that it did.