Our Minds Have Minds of Their Own

Several years ago, we had a scare while on a field trip. A boy, racing to the bus stop, attempted to get around one of the adults by shooting for a narrow gap between her and the roadway. While both his feet were off the ground, her hip swung slightly in that direction, knocking him into the street. I'd been watching the whole thing and managed to snatch him back to safety. Seconds later, a garbage truck came rumbling past.It wasn't exactly a close call, but it did cause us to review our safety protocols, especially around traffic.A few days later, at our leisure, the boy and I were discussing the incident. He casually asked, "Do you remember when you knocked me into the street?"That's not what had happened! "No, I rescued you.""No, you bumped me and I went into the street, but I got back on the sidewalk just in time."It's not surprising that he remembered the event. We tend to form memories around unexpected or unusual things, what memory researchers call novel experiences. Yet, his…