| Factor | Description |
|---|
| Misinformation effect | When erroneous information received after an event leads to distorted or false memories of the event |
| Source | Forgetting or misremembering the true source of a memory |
| Schema distortion | False or distorted memories caused by the tendency to fill in missing memory details with information that is consistent with existing knowledge about a topic |
| Imagination inflation | Unfounded confidence in a false or distorted memory caused by vividly imagining the pseudoevent |
| False familiarity | Increased feelings of familiarity due to repeatedly imagining an event |
| Blending fact and fiction | Using vivid, authentic details to add to the legitimacy and believability of a pseudoevent |
| Suggestion | Hypnosis, guided imagery, or other highly suggestive techniques that can inadvertently or intentionally create vivid false memories |