False Memories

When I was a little girl, I went to Disney Land with my family. Cinderella was my favorite princess and all I wanted to do was spend the day with her. I remember we were at parade and Cinderella picked me out of the crowd and I road the rest of the parade with her. After that I spent the rest of the afternoon with her or thats what my memory told me.
I was speaking with my mom about our trips and I told her this wonderful story. In reality, I did sit on the parade with Cinderella but after that I passed out in my dad's arms. My mom said I must have dreamt about spending the rest of the day with Cinderella. For the most part, it was all just a false memory.
A false memory "is a fabricated or distorted recollection of an event that did not actually happen. People often think of memory as something like a video recorder, accurately documenting and storing everything that happens with perfect accuracy and clarity." (About.com)
Things to remember about out memory:
~Our memories are NOT perfect recollections of past events as they happened
~Memories are susceptible to the influence of inaccurate or unrelated information
~Beliefs can be influenced by the questions asked and/or the information provided
~An entirely false memory can be planted in unsuspecting individuals
(Slides from 10/11, Sarah Chambers)