Confabulation

Confabulation is a cognitive phenomenon where a person creates false memories or information without intending to deceive. This can happen when someone fills in gaps in their memory with imaginative details, often due to brain injury, mental health conditions, or memory disorders like Alzheimer's disease. The individual genuinely believes these constructed memories are true, as their brain attempts to make sense of incomplete information. Unlike lying, confabulation is not deliberate; it's a way the mind tries to cope with memory loss.