Gone but not forgotten: how fuzzy memories improve decision-making

By Paul M. Garrett, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne

You’ve only been in the shopping centre for a few minutes, but back in the car park, you suddenly freeze. Where did I park? The memory feels gone. You guess and start to head left. Then you see the sign – “Blue Zone 1” – and realise your guess was correct.

This everyday experience is at the heart of new research colleagues and I have published in the journal Computational Brain & Behavior.

It shows that even “wrong” short-term memories may not be empty guesses.

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Gone but not forgotten: how fuzzy memories improve decision-making

What is short-term…Read complete article© The Conversation - Tuesday, March 24, 2026

What is short-term…

Read complete article
© The Conversation - Tuesday, March 24, 2026