This occurs because our memory is organized much differently than a cassette tape. Put another way, we list things under heading and associations when we encode memories. Unlike a tape recorder, where all the information is recorded sequentially disregarding all meaning, we like to group related items together. Memories are obviously much more than just a photographic picture of what happened. You could think of them more as an artist s rendition of what occurred.
Tape recorders have the ability to record exactly what happened for a few reasons.
One, they do it instantly, it goes on to the tape as it happens. Last, you can t lead a tape recorder. These three things are very important when it comes to humans however. All three are affected by our ability to process information within our schemas from all over our brains, bringing in our own assumptions along the way. References Baron, Robert A. 1998.