Few psychologists think of human memory as a perfect recording of past events. Certainly we can record, store and recall accurate facts about our world (e.g. what’s the capital of France?). We can remember life events (where did you go to primary school?) and memories of all kinds can last a lifetime (once you learn to ride a bicycle you never forget). However, there are natural limits on how much we can possibly sense and then process.
Moreover, human memory is imperfect, and is subject to change. For example, learning new information changes and sometimes prevents access to what we already know (called retroactive interference). What we already know helps us to learn (because it gives us prior understanding and reference), but it also colours and changes new material that we are learning (called proactive interference).
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