University of Hull - Lies, damned lies and memories

One-fifth of students at the University of Hull have false memories, a study indicates. Researchers from the university's psychology department surveyed 1,600 students in the first empirical study into the phenomenon of false memory. Most students say their false memories relate to when they were between four and eight years old. The testimony of family members was the most common reason for the students to stop believing the memories to be accurate, the study says. Some students report having memories of impossible events such as flying or seeing Father Christmas or a living dinosaur.