Transference of memories of one person person to another known person: Semantic similarities in name

[Genecks]

Hello, all.

 

As of late, I have been attempting to understand how false memories are generated. Of interest is a false memory I generated some time ago of an individual. The individual's name is Venessa. I had psychological transferred episodic memory attributes from a woman named Vanessa to another woman named Venessa. As such, I have been attempting to find any documentation of events in people that exist like this.

 

In my situation, I was under a stressful event when dealing online with the woman named Venessa. I had an intimate relationship with both women, Vanessa (ex-girlfriend) and Venessa (friends-with-benefits), at different points in my life. In 2012, I came across the woman named Venessa, and she pointed out to me that I had false memories of her: I had attributed episodic memories of the Vanessa to Venessa.

 

Both women were involved with drugs, such as dealing and usage.

Both women were latina/hispanic.

Both women held deviant personality aspects (were criminals).

 

To my best recollection, the first point during which I attributed the episodic memories of Vanessa to Venessa was in 2010 whereby my time in dealing with Venessa was within a three-hour time window (I reported her to the FBI on drug allegations, because she was going to try and throw me in jail and conspire against me for alleged stalking/harassment charges (I hadn't talked to her in over 1.5 years; I had a girlfriend/friends-with-benefits relationship for about 7 months of those 1.5 years); from what I believed, her desire to throw me in jail only came after I figured out that she left me in order to do drugs with a boyfriend and hustle them for him). This is really old-school stuff for me, as I'm living in my hometown again

 

I foolishly went on the Internet to start talking to her in 2012, and she slammed a legal case on me within two days: I had completely forgot I was the person who threw her in jail. The case was civil with no fines. The case is "over," but I am fighting it, as I am able to fight it. i believed I was talking to an old friend, and I started an argument with an old friend: I assumed her to hold characteristics of Vanessa.

 

I have spending the past three weeks trying to figure out why I confused the two, held a false memory of Venessa, and repressed my memory of Venessa. My best guess has been in line with repressed memories that my memories of her were traumatic: After reviewing my memories, I had associated many traumatic memories from 2007 to 2010 in relation to her. When I was asked about her, I could only recall good memories, which more than likely was a side-effect to forget the bad and remember the good as I repressed my memories from 2007 to 2010: Many other bad memories in relation to people were not repressed, because I was on social networking websites and friends with those people (I know two women with semantically similar names: Brandy and Brandi).

 

I cannot find much research on this, at least in relation to my situation.

 

The more interesting aspect is that I had come across Venessa in person at her place of work during the summer while I was with a new girlfriend: The girlfriend wanted to go to a clothing store. Venessa asked if I was who I was, which freaked me out and surprised me, and then she let me know that her and I used to talk online. I could not recall such facts, but I took her word for it, and I then went to lunch with my girlfriend at the time. I ignored the situation and passed it off as nothing to think about ever again until I started to notice that I held a false memory of Venessa, as she so willingly pointed out to me.

 

Either way, I've managed to psychologically separate Vanessa and Venessa apart from each other. However, I am still attempting to understand how the false memory was generated of Venessa and the episodic memories of her were repressed. I am starting to believe that I had some form of dissociative or retrograde amnesia when I started to talk to her online, which would best explain why I could not recall many details about her person while seeing her at court. I surely did not forget that she gave me a beer when I was a minor (I surely am an Irish Catholic).

Edited February 9, 2013 by Genecks

[Genecks]

Looks like I found my answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misattribution_of_memory#Causes_of_false_memories

 

I recalled the wrong memories during the report due to source confusion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misattribution_of_memory#Source_Confusion

 

Afterward, I questioned my own memory, but ignored the idea that I was wrong. As such, a false memory was generated.

 

I have been spending the past couple of weeks reviewing what I know about myself, my memories, and so forth.

Back when I made the report, I was under time pressure. I think I made the report that day (within hours of being threatened).

I had my organic chem I final studying to do.

In addition, the two women held similar names.

 

It's always funny that I start to find the answers myself once I start to ask others questions.. hmm.

 

Now I have to pin down why I repressed the memory and how. My best guess from my examination of my own forgetting curve is that I fell in love with another woman (that's when I started to forget about the Venessa person and not think about her at all). Interestingly, the repressed memory affected the relationship I had with the woman I was dating at the time I repressed the memory.

 

Never thought that I, as a neuroscientist, would ever get caught in a cognitive trap like this.

Edited February 10, 2013 by Genecks