(April 22, 2015 at 3:48 pm)robvalue Wrote: I see, yes that's interesting. I suspect it is often the case, memory is notoriously unreliable. It's weird how much false confidence you can have though in your own memories.
As I understand it, every time you think about a memory it changes. A neural network "stores" information in the strength of the synapses between neurons, and these strengths are continually changing based on the activation levels of neurons. Thinking/imagining something activates the same neurons that would be activated by external input (i.e. reality) but to a much lesser degree. Therefore every time you think about something it is like a toned down version of actually experiencing it. In other words the brain is always learning and updating and it essentially can't tell the difference between reality and thinking.
