When a memory is influenced or altered by external suggestions, it is referred to as what?

The phenomenon where a memory is influenced or altered by external suggestions is known as suggestibility. This concept refers to how susceptible individuals are to incorporating misleading information from external sources into their own memories. Suggestibility is particularly significant in contexts such as eyewitness testimony and therapy, where leading questions or suggestions can lead to distorted recollections of events.

This process highlights the malleable nature of human memory, revealing that our recollections are not as reliable as we may believe. Instead, memories can be reshaped by new information and social influences, demonstrating that memory is not just a static record of past experiences but an active reconstruction influenced by context and suggestion.