1	What memory is not Memory is not a system for accurately retaining past events and personal experiences. A moments reflection should disabuse anyone of the notion that memory is designed to retain an accurate record of personal experience. If human females retained an accurate account of the pain and discomfort they went though in childbirth none of us would be here. Humans, as a species, would have gone extinct a long time ago
2	"This example should highlight the..." This example should highlight the simple fact that it makes no evolutionary sense to have a creature with an accurate memory system. It does, however, make a great deal of evolutionary sense for a creature to have an adaptive memory system. And that's exactly what humans have. A memory system designed to enhance fitness by being a dynamic, functional storage system that changes over time.
3	Back to human females and birthing process. What happens to that memory of pain and discomfort? It serves two important functions: Shortly after birth the memory remains vivid: This is exactly what nature wants because mom should be devoting her energy to newborn child and not sexual activity or any other distractions But over time the positive experiences and emotions associated with the product of that painful birthing process (the kid) actually affects original memory but updating it and distorting it. "Gee you know...it was worth it…it wasn't really so bad." And now, just as nature wants, mom is ready to "get busy" once again. Now that’s a functional, well-adapted memory system.
4	"Psychologists refer to this process..." Psychologists refer to this process of later information affecting an earlier memory as suggestibility. The important lesson for oral history is that we would expect a whole host of extra-event information to affect an individual's memory for a particular event (especially young kids). What kind of information?
5	For kids especially: The reactions and event interpretations of parents and other adults (was it a terrible tragedy or an adventure) The tone and tenor an interviewer and the type of questions asked (weren't you frightened? Vs. Wasn't it exciting?) Post event information such as ramifications (we got spend two weeks at Uncle Bills place in Houston and see the Astros play; sister got sick and spent three days in the hospital).
6	For Kids Especially: Studies show kids tend to be more accurate in answering open-ended questions vs. leading questions (Tell me what happened vs. How did you survive the scary storm?) Children have been shown to be susceptible to implanted false memories when adults "assure" them that a particular event took place (Loftus's famous lost in mall study). Children (and adults) have been shown to be prone to "imagination inflation" when asked to recall and elaborate on events or even to makeup events. The extent to which an event is deemed "traumatic" to a child is often a function of how adults react to the event
7	Memory: A two-edged sword Is remembering and recounting therapeutic? Yes: it can help individuals to organize, better understand and interpret life events. No: it can force one to relive traumatic painful experiences. Extreme form PTSD.