Puzzling Confabulations – An Overview of Classifications and Theories

Abstract

Abstract. Confabulations comprise a puzzling collection of false statements, produced without conscious intent to deceive. They have been classified according to the mode of elicitation (spontaneous vs. provoked), the content (fantastic vs. plausible), the memory domain in which they become manifest (episodic vs. semantic), their stability (stable vs. ephemeral), or their selectivity (monothematic vs. multithematic). All classifications appear to be problematic, because there are no clear-cut dichotomies, and confabulations often seem to fall into overlapping categories. There are, in fact, many theories, presumably explaining different kinds of confabulations; the best bet is to regard them as complementary rather than competing.