Skip to main content

Are all of your memories real? - Daniel L. Schacter

2,027,687 Views

20,689 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

In a 1990’s study, participants recalled getting lost in a shopping mall as children. Some shared these memories in vivid detail, but there was one problem: none of these people had actually gotten lost in a mall. They produced these false memories after psychologists told them they’d gotten lost and parents confirmed it. So what’s going on? Daniel Schacter explores the fallibility of our memory.

After seeing a magnifying glass and imagining a lollipop, on a subsequent memory test, people:

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Daniel L. Schacter
  • Director AIM Creative Studios, Ana Luísa Farinha
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Storyboard Artist Ana Luísa Farinha
  • Illustrator Ana Luísa Farinha
  • Animator André Cunha, Cristina Neto
  • AIM Creative Studios Producer Tom Knight
  • Sound Designer André Aires
  • Music André Aires
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Script Editor Emma Bryce
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

More from Getting Under Our Skin