One reason we think we forget most of what we learned in school is that we underestimate what we actually remember. Other times, we know we remember something, but we don’t recognize that we learned it in school. Knowing where and when you learned something is usually called context information, and context is handled by (a) different memory processes than memory for the content. Thus, it’s quite possible to retain content without remembering the context.

For example, if someone mentions a movie and you think to yourself that you heard it was terrible but can’t remember (b) where you heard that, you’re recalling the content, but you’ve lost the context. Context information is frequently (c) easier to forget than content, and it’s the source of a variety of memory illusions. For instance, people are (d) unconvinced by a persuasive argument if it’s written by someone who is not very credible (e.g., someone with a clear financial interest in the topic). But in time, readers’ attitudes, on average, change in the direction of the persuasive argument. Why? Because readers are likely to remember the content of the argument but forget the source ― someone who is not credible. If remembering the source of knowledge is difficult, you can see how it would be (e) challenging to conclude you don’t remember much from school.

* illusion: 착각