Background An important issue for theories of cognition is how well we remember things. It is important because nearly every aspect of cognition depends on memory to some degree. To understand problem solving, decision making, attention, and perception, one needs to know the abilities and limits of memory. The quality of memory is important for practical reasons as well.
Many significant events depend on reports from human observers.
From eye witness testimony in murder trials to arguments with a spouse about who said what, memory, and memory accuracy, is critical. The vividness or confidence of the person recalling the memory is not an accurate indication of the truth of the memory. However, for those situations where accuracy of detail is important, memories cannot be trusted, no matter how adamant the recaller is about the vividness of the memory. This experiment demonstrates one methodology that biases people to recall things that did not occur. The memories associated with experiments of this type are often called false memories .