(BUFDRVR) wrote in message ...
Fred the Red Shirt wrote:

First, it is not hard to believe that Kerry confused two or more,
missions, thus misremembering which was the Christmas mission.

Except that he said the memory was "seared into his brain". Kind of hard to get
confused with memories that are "seared".

Wrong.

Traumatic memory is well-known to be highly inaccurate, as well as
extrordinarily clear and vivid.

The clarity and vivid nature of memories 'seared into' a person's
brain is often confused with accuracy. Nothing could be further
from the truth.

The release of adrenalin into the bloodstream has a complex interaction
with the formation of long term memory. To a first approximation memories
of events that immediately precede the 'adrenalin rush' are enhanced
in accuracy at the expense of the accuracy of memories of events observed
while the adrenalin is in the bloodstream.

This goes a long ways toward explaining why eyewitnesses to traumatic
events often have very different memories of a common experience.

--

FF