Many People’s Earliest Memories May Be Fictional 許多人的最初記憶或為虛構

韓聰

In a large survey of peoples first memories， nearly 40% of participants reported a first memory that is likely to be fictional， according to findings published in Psychological Science， a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Current research indicates that peoples earliest memories date from around 3 to 3.5 years of age. However， the study from researchers at City， University of London1， the University of Bradford， and Nottingham Trent University found that 38.6% of 6，641 participants claimed to have memories from age 2 or younger， with 893 people claiming memories from age 1 or younger. This was particularly prevalent among middle-aged and older adults.

To investigate peoples first memories， the researchers asked participants to detail their first memory along with their age at the time. In particular， participants were told that the memory itself had to be one that they were certain they remembered. It should not be based on， for example， a family photograph， family story， or any source other than direct experience.

As many of these memories dated before the age of 2 and younger， the authors suggest that these fictional memories are based on remembered fragments of early experience—such as a pram2 （or stroller3）， family relationships and feeling sad—and some facts or knowledge about their own infancy or childhood which may have been derived from photographs or family conversations.

“We suggest that what a rememberer has in mind when recalling fictional improbably early memories is an episodic-memory-like mental representation4 consisting of remembered fragments of early experience and some facts or knowledge about their own infancy/childhood，” said Shazia Akhtar， first author on the study and Senior Research Associate at the University of Bradford.

“Additionally， further details may be nonconsciously inferred or added， e.g. that one was wearing nappy when standing in the cot，” Akhtar added. “Such episodic-memory-like mental representations come， over time， to be recollectively experienced when they come to mind and so for the individual they quite simply are ‘memories which particularly point to infancy.”

“When we looked through the responses from participants we found that a lot of these first ‘memories were frequently related to infancy， and a typical example would be a memory based around a pram，” explained Martin Conway， Director at the Centre for Memory and Law at City， University of London and coauthor of the paper.

“For this person， this type of memory could have resulted from someone saying something like ‘mother had a large green pram. The person then imagines what it would have looked like. Over time these fragments then becomes a memory and often the person will start to add things in such as a string of toys along the top，” he added.

“Crucially， the person remembering them doesnt know this is fictional，” Conway noted. “In fact when people are told that their memories are false they often dont believe it. This partly due to the fact that the systems that allow us to remember things are very complex， and its not until were 5 or 6 that we form adult-like memories due to the way that the brain develops and due to our maturing understanding of the world.”

根據美國心理科學協會期刊《心理科學》發表的研究結果，在一項關于人們最初記憶的大型調查中，近40%的受調查者反映的最初記憶可能是虛構的。

當前的研究顯示，人的記憶最早約從三歲到三歲半開始。然而，來自倫敦大學城市學院、布拉德福德大學和諾丁漢特倫特大學的研究人員發現，在6641名受調查者中，有38.6%的人聲稱擁有兩歲或更早時候的記憶，893人聲稱擁有一歲或更早時候的記憶。這一情況在中老年人中尤為普遍。

為了研究人們的最初記憶，研究者要求受調查者詳述其最早的記憶及當時的年齡，并特別告知受調查者，必須確定這份記憶是自己的實際經歷。例如，這份記憶不應源于家庭照、家庭故事或其他渠道，而必須是自己親身經歷的。

這些記憶中，有很多發生在兩歲或更早的時候，報告的作者們認為，這些虛構的記憶或基于早期經歷的記憶片段，比如一輛嬰兒車、家庭關系和悲傷情緒，或基于和受調查者自身嬰兒期或童年相關的一些事實或認識，這些事實或認識可能來自照片或家庭交談。

該研究報告的第一作者、布拉德福德大學的高級副研究員沙齊亞·阿赫塔爾說：“我們認為，回憶者在回想虛構的、看似早得離譜的記憶時，浮現的往往是類似片段式記憶的心理表征，如早期經歷的記憶片段，以及和受調查者嬰兒期或童年相關的一些事實或認識?！?/p>

“此外，他們還可能無意識地推斷或添加更多細節，比如穿著尿布站在嬰兒床上。”阿赫塔爾補充道，“隨著時間推移，這種類似片段式記憶的心理表征在腦海里浮現時，就成了回憶性體驗，因此對個人來說，這種心理表征確實是‘記憶，尤其是幼時的‘記憶?！?/p>

該論文的合著者、倫敦大學城市學院記憶和法律中心主任馬丁·康韋解釋說：“查看了受調查者的回應后，我們發現，很多最初‘記憶都與嬰兒期有關，關于嬰兒車的記憶就是個典型的例子?！?/p>

“對這個人來說，這類記憶可能是由于有人說了 ‘媽媽有一輛大的綠色嬰兒車之類的話。然后這個人就會想象那輛嬰兒車的樣子。隨著時間推移，這些片段會變成記憶，這個人往往會開始加些東西上去，比如頂部邊緣的一串玩具。”康韋補充道。

“關鍵是，記住這些的人并不知道這是虛構的?！笨淀f指出，“事實上，人們被告知自己記錯了的時候，他們通常不會相信。部分原因是我們記事的系統非常復雜，直到五六歲的時候，我們才會因為大腦的發育方式，以及對世界日趨成熟的理解，形成類似成人的記憶?！?/p>

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者;單位：鄭州大學外國語與國際關系學院）