Memory Conformity Following Collaborative Remembering
Despite natural differences in the way individuals initially remember the same encoded event, research shows that when people discuss their memories they can influence each other such that their subsequent individual memory reports become similar. This phenomenon is referred to as “memory conformity.” It can occur because people accept, and later report, information that is suggested to them in the course of the discussion. In the interest of both theoretical and applied implications, researchers have investigated factors that can increase and decrease the memory conformity effect. This chapter presents methodological approaches to investigating memory conformity, typical research findings, and current theoretical explanations that help account for the phenomenon.