Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
reconstructive memory

reconstructive memory

8.9
When you remember an event, the mind fills missing details with guesses
  • noun
  • /ˌriːkənˈstrʌktɪv ˈmɛməri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : memoria reconstructiva
  • Reconstructive memory plays a crucial role in how we remember past events, allowing us to fill in gaps with likely details.

Examples

  • Elizabeth Loftus is one of the earliest psychology researchers to study reconstructive memory.

    Blog text (26)

  • During therapy, he learned that reconstructive memory could affect his recollection of childhood experiences.

  • In her lecture, the professor explained how reconstructive memory can lead to false memories in eyewitness testimonies.

Synonyms

reconstruction
vsreconstructive memory
  • Specialized
1 7.0

Remembering an event by putting together pieces from your memory

is the type of recall that uses those abstract features to recreate details

How Exact

episodic memory
  • Specialized
1 6.3
recollection
116 3.8
reconstructive memory
  • Specialized
8.9
semantic memory
  • Specialized
5.8

Surface Forms

reconstructive memory singular
reconstructive memories plural

Morphology

reconstructive + memory

The adjective 'reconstructive' is transparently built from 'reconstruct' (to build or form again) plus the adjectival suffix -ive, and combined with 'memory' yields the straightforward idea of a memory formed by reconstruction. This adjective+noun composition follows normal English morphology and semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent parts would likely infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Reconstructive memory comes from the image of 'rebuilding' a broken picture: imagine reconstructing a photo from pieces and guesses to make the scene. So, reconstructive memory means your memory rebuilds past events from bits and ideas, and the rebuilt story can have wrong details.