Memory Biases Vocabulary

remembering the past as better than it was

“Rosy retrospection makes us think our college years were nothing but fun.”

judging experiences based on their peak intensity and how they ended

“The peak-end rule explains why a vacation is remembered fondly despite rain most days.”

a recollection that seems real but is fabricated or distorted

“Eyewitness testimony can be unreliable due to false memory formation.”

a forgotten memory returning without recognition as such

“His 'original' melody was cryptomnesia—he'd heard it years ago and forgotten.”

misattributing the source of a memory

“Source confusion made her think she read it in the newspaper when a friend told her.”

losing details while emphasizing others when retelling

“Through leveling and sharpening, the fishing story grew more dramatic with each telling.”

post-event information altering memory of the original event

“Leading questions demonstrated the misinformation effect in eyewitness testimony.”

enhanced recall of events from adolescence and early adulthood

“The reminiscence bump explains why we remember songs from our teenage years best.”

perceiving recent events as more remote and remote events as more recent

“The telescoping effect made it seem like years since the party that was only months ago.”

older adults favoring positive over negative information in memory

“The positivity effect means grandparents genuinely remember more good than bad.”