Mind WondersPlay

Famous ExperimentsFalse Memory

Lost in the Mall

About a quarter of people came to remember a childhood day that never happened

A familiar mall, a relative’s story, and a scene you can picture. When does the picture start feeling like a memory?

You'll find out

  • Three family stories and one invention
  • What a quarter of the group reported
  • A way to check the source

Why it matters

Keep a vivid story from turning into a fact you rely on before checking where it came from.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 75 · Zone 9

Play this lesson

Free to play in your browser or on iPhone

More in this zone

  1. 73MemoryYour Memories Are Rewritten Every TimeEach time you remember something, you quietly edit it
  2. 74False MemoryThe Car Crash QuestionChange one word in a question and witnesses remember glass that wasn't there
  3. 76LearningThe Forgetting CurveMost of what you learn today is gone within days, unless you do this
  4. 77LearningSpace It Out to Remember ItStudying a little over several days beats cramming the same hours
  5. 78LearningTest Yourself to RememberTrying to recall something beats rereading it, by a lot
  6. 79MemoryWhy You Forget NamesYou remember a stranger is a baker but forget his name is Baker
  7. 80MemoryFlashbulb Memories LieYour crystal-clear memory of where you were on a big day is probably wrong
  8. 81LearningTeach It to Learn ItExpecting to teach something makes you learn it better