I hear accounts like that, but there’s a fair amount of evidence that our minds like to fill in the blanks on memories we hear about. The classic example from psych class involves experiments where they implanted memories of getting lost at age 5 in a mall. The stories were fabricated, but two alarming things stuck with me: people added details to these ‘recollections’ and even after being debriefed on the experiment, a sizable portion continued to believe that happened to them at 5.
(Keep in mind, the human brain also isn’t really developed enough to retain memories like that, let alone give them enough meaningful context to reflect on them in a meaningful way)
All that’s to say your memories of the space needle probably have a lot filled in from your knowledge of the place and the stories your folks told you.
I haven’t been there since, and what I specifically remember the most is being frustrated because I was too weak to get the water guns by the base to shoot properly (though it’s only in retrospect that I realized the reason). My parents hadn’t talked to me about that part of the trip before I mentioned that to my mom a few years ago, and she was surprised I remembered.
I don’t remember any of the time around it, and obviously I can’t prove it’s a real memory, but memories do last longer when they’re associated with intense emotions, and children’s emotions are especially intense. If that was the first time I was ever frustrated like that, I think it would make sense that it stuck
Maybe, it’d have to be rooted in one of the earlier parts of the brain though, which aren’t quite as good with memories. They tend to manifest as feelings and triggers though, like a phobia (at least, that’s the hypothesis, you can’t exactly test that by torturing babies). Which, makes sense to me, since the amygdala is pretty good to go at that age, lol.
That’s not to say it’s impossible (the brain is very plastic), just that the more dedicated parts for that aren’t there and your understanding of the world isn’t good enough to make sense of it. In your case, you wouldn’t need the latter to at least understand the feelings at the time, though. I for instance have a pretty sure memory of getting wiped out by someone in a swing in preschool, though I can’t even remember visiting Disneyland in 2nd grade lol.
I mostly only bring it up because my sister swears she has district memory at that age and I know she’s having reconstructive memory bias to change her memories to better reflect her current world view. I was there, after all, and it’s a pet peeve of mine ever since! Lol
Yeah, memory is fragile, and that’s why it’s not weighted highly in criminal cases in most developed countries… but “absent father with a huge ego is making up stuff” seems more likely than any other alternatives to me…?
I also have more vivid memories from my childhood than anything in my adult life. Stuff that my family has never talked about, etc. But who knows.
I hear accounts like that, but there’s a fair amount of evidence that our minds like to fill in the blanks on memories we hear about. The classic example from psych class involves experiments where they implanted memories of getting lost at age 5 in a mall. The stories were fabricated, but two alarming things stuck with me: people added details to these ‘recollections’ and even after being debriefed on the experiment, a sizable portion continued to believe that happened to them at 5.
(Keep in mind, the human brain also isn’t really developed enough to retain memories like that, let alone give them enough meaningful context to reflect on them in a meaningful way)
All that’s to say your memories of the space needle probably have a lot filled in from your knowledge of the place and the stories your folks told you.
I haven’t been there since, and what I specifically remember the most is being frustrated because I was too weak to get the water guns by the base to shoot properly (though it’s only in retrospect that I realized the reason). My parents hadn’t talked to me about that part of the trip before I mentioned that to my mom a few years ago, and she was surprised I remembered.
I don’t remember any of the time around it, and obviously I can’t prove it’s a real memory, but memories do last longer when they’re associated with intense emotions, and children’s emotions are especially intense. If that was the first time I was ever frustrated like that, I think it would make sense that it stuck
Maybe, it’d have to be rooted in one of the earlier parts of the brain though, which aren’t quite as good with memories. They tend to manifest as feelings and triggers though, like a phobia (at least, that’s the hypothesis, you can’t exactly test that by torturing babies). Which, makes sense to me, since the amygdala is pretty good to go at that age, lol.
That’s not to say it’s impossible (the brain is very plastic), just that the more dedicated parts for that aren’t there and your understanding of the world isn’t good enough to make sense of it. In your case, you wouldn’t need the latter to at least understand the feelings at the time, though. I for instance have a pretty sure memory of getting wiped out by someone in a swing in preschool, though I can’t even remember visiting Disneyland in 2nd grade lol.
I mostly only bring it up because my sister swears she has district memory at that age and I know she’s having reconstructive memory bias to change her memories to better reflect her current world view. I was there, after all, and it’s a pet peeve of mine ever since! Lol
Yeah, memory is fragile, and that’s why it’s not weighted highly in criminal cases in most developed countries… but “absent father with a huge ego is making up stuff” seems more likely than any other alternatives to me…?
I also have more vivid memories from my childhood than anything in my adult life. Stuff that my family has never talked about, etc. But who knows.
Oh for sure he’s full of shit. Memories being fragile or not, haha.