Source-Monitoring Error

What does it mean in everyday language?

You remember something, but mix up where it came from.

An example

You remember moving an object but mistake an action performed in virtual reality for one performed in a physical room.

A more precise definition

A source-monitoring error occurs when a mental experience is attributed to an incorrect source, context, modality, or agent.

Key features

• Memory content may be retained
• Origin is assigned incorrectly
• Can involve internal, external, real, or mediated sources

Where the definition stops

It does not necessarily mean the entire memory is false.

How it relates to synthetic imprinting

A source error is one possible explanation for confusion after synthetic experiences. It does not show that a new, separate memory mechanism exists.

Research context

Studied within source-monitoring and reality-monitoring research.

Related terms

• Source Monitoring Established Concept
• False Memory Established Concept
• Reality-Model Drift Hypothesis
• Reality Monitoring Established Concept

Sources and further reading

1. Source Monitoring — Marcia K. Johnson, Shahin Hashtroudi, D. Stephen Lindsay (1993). Psychological Bulletin, 114(1), 3–28.
2. Was It Real or Virtual? Confirming the Occurrence and Explaining Causes of Memory Source Confusion Between Reality and Virtual Reality — Elise Bonnail, Julian Frommel, Eric Lecolinet, Samuel Huron, Jan Gugenheimer (2024). Proceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Cite this definition

What the status means

First published

2026-08-19

Updated

2026-09-24

Version

1.2

Prepared by

SyntheticImprinting.com Editorial Project

Review status

External expert review pending

Page address

https://syntheticimprinting.com/terms/source-monitoring-error/

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