What psychological effect can result from the repeated suggestion of an event that an individual did not experience personally?

The phenomenon of creating a false memory occurs when an individual remembers an event that they did not experience, often due to suggestions or information presented to them after the fact. This can happen through various means, such as leading questions, discussions with others about the event, or exposure to misleading information. Over time, these external suggestions can integrate into the individual's memory, leading them to confidently recall the event as if it were a true personal experience.

False memories can be vivid and detailed, making it challenging for individuals to discern their authenticity. Research in psychology has demonstrated how easily memories can be altered or fabricated, particularly when influenced by authoritative sources or social interactions. Some factors contributing to false memories include the individual's imagination, social pressure to conform to shared experiences, and the malleability of memory itself.

In contrast, confabulation refers more specifically to the creation of false memories without the intention to deceive, often occurring in individuals with memory disorders. The false consensus effect describes the tendency of people to overestimate the extent to which others share their beliefs and behaviors, while the misinformation effect pertains specifically to the distortion of memories due to misleading post-event information. While all these concepts relate to memory distortions, false memory specifically captures the idea of recalling an event that one did