Adaptive misbeliefs and false memories

John Sutton

doi:10.1017/S0140525X09991488

Adaptive misbeliefs and false memories

John Sutton^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/opinion › peer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

208 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

McKay & Dennett (M&D) suggest that some positive illusions are adaptive. But there is a bidirectional link between memory and positive illusions: Biased autobiographical memories filter incoming information, and self-enhancing information is preferentially attended and used to update memory. Extending M&D's approach, I ask if certain false memories might be adaptive, defending a broad view of the psychosocial functions of remembering.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	535-536
Number of pages	2
Journal	Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Volume	32
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X09991488
Publication status	Published - Dec 2009

Bibliographical note

Copyright 2009 Cambridge University Press. Article originally published in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 32, Issue 6, pp. 535-536. The original article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X09991488

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AB - McKay & Dennett (M&D) suggest that some positive illusions are adaptive. But there is a bidirectional link between memory and positive illusions: Biased autobiographical memories filter incoming information, and self-enhancing information is preferentially attended and used to update memory. Extending M&D's approach, I ask if certain false memories might be adaptive, defending a broad view of the psychosocial functions of remembering.

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Adaptive misbeliefs and false memories

Abstract

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