Unfortunately every time that memory is accessed it is edited to match present expectations.
Even for arguments sake if the memory wasn't accessed at all, it would be subject to degradation.
The work of Loftus and Palmer points to the fragility of memory even going so far as to call it reconstructive. Reconstructive as in always open to change. Mix that with different type of experiences and one may see a variety of aberrations.
One of my close friends has had this long term argument with his wife over who proposed, you would think such an event would be easy to recall, but both are suffering from an edited version of events. Even if one of them is correct, they'd be shocked if the actual events could be played back.
Overall, memory is completely fragile and not digital. This a length of time and memory will suffer from interpretations of the present as well as event-related errors.
Great question:
Unfortunately every time that memory is accessed it is edited to match present expectations.
Even for arguments sake if the memory wasn't accessed at all, it would be subject to degradation.
The work of Loftus and Palmer points to the fragility of memory even going so far as to call it reconstructive. Reconstructive as in always open to change. Mix that with different type of experiences and one may see a variety of aberrations.
One of my close friends has had this long term argument with his wife over who proposed, you would think such an event would be easy to recall, but both are suffering from an edited version of events. Even if one of them is correct, they'd be shocked if the actual events could be played back.
Overall, memory is completely fragile and not digital. This a length of time and memory will suffer from interpretations of the present as well as event-related errors.