Did you see that? False memories for emotional words in bilingual children

When participants process a list of semantically strongly related words, the ones that were not presented may later be said, falsely, to have been on the list. This ‘false memory effect’ has been investigated by means of the DRM paradigm. We applied an emotional version of it to assess the false memory effect for emotional words in bilingual children with a minority language as L1 (their mother tongue) and a monolingual control group. We found that the higher emotionality of the words enhances memory distortion for both the bilingual and the monolingual children, in spite of the disadvantage related to vocabulary skills and of the socioeconomic status that acts on semantic processing independently from the condition of bilingualism. We conclude that bilingual children develop their semantic knowledge separately from their vocabulary skills and parallel to their monolingual peers, with a comparable role played by Arousal and Valence.

Segmentation of semantic and perceptual boundaries affects associative memory and risk of false memories

Temporally structured sequences of experiences, such as narratives or life events, are segmented in memory into discrete situational models. In segmentation, contextual shifts are processed as situational boundaries that temporally cluster items according to the perceived contexts. As such, segmentation enhances associative binding of items within a situational model. One side effect of enhanced associative processing is increased risk of false recollections for not-presented, semantically related items. If so, do boundaries facilitate false recollections, or does segmentation protect against them? In two experiments, we introduced situational shifts in word sequences in the form of semantic and perceptual boundaries, with semantic relatedness between words or the frame color around a word changing on a regular basis. After encoding, we tested participants’ associative memory performance and false recollection rates. In Experiment 1, color boundaries occurred synchronously or asynchronously to semantic boundaries. We found better associative recognition, but also more false recollections, for synchronous than asynchronous boundaries. In Experiment 2, color boundaries occurred synchronous to semantic boundaries or were absent entirely. We found that false recollection rates elicited by semantic boundaries increased when color boundaries were absent. We also tested associative memory performance using a non-semantic, temporal memory task. We found better temporal memory performance for semantic boundaries, as well as a negative correlation between increased false recollection rates and better temporal memory performance for semantic lists, but not for random lists. We discuss implications for false memory theories and segmentation of narrative materials in false memory research.

The Trajectory of Targets and Critical Lures in the Deese/Roediger–McDermott Paradigm: A Systematic Review

The Deese/Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm has been used extensively to examine false memory. During the study session, participants learn lists of semantically related items (e.g., pillow, blanket, tired, bed), referred to as targets. Critical lures are items which are also associated with the lists but are intentionally omitted from study (e.g., sleep). At test, when asked to remember targets, participants often report false memories for critical lures. Findings from experiments using the DRM show the ease with which false memories develop in the absence of suggestion or misinformation. Given this, it is important to examine factors which influence the generalizability of the findings. One important factor is the persistence of false memory, or how long false memories last. Therefore, we conducted a systemic review to answer this research question: What is the persistence of false memory for specific items in the DRM paradigm? To help answer this question our review had two research objectives: (1) to examine the trajectory of target memory and false memory for critical lures and (2) to examine whether memory for targets exceeded false memory for critical lures. We included empirical articles which tested memory for the same DRM lists with at least two testing sessions. We discuss the results with respect to single-session delays, long-term memory recall and recognition, remember and know judgments for memory, and the effect of development, valence, warning, and connectivity on the trajectory of memory. Overall, the trajectory of targets showed a relatively consistent pattern of decrease across delay. The trajectory of critical lures was inconsistent. The proportion of targets versus critical lures across delay was also inconsistent. Despite the inconsistencies, we conclude that targets and critical lures have a dissimilar trajectory across delay and that critical lures are more persistent than targets. The findings with respect to long-term recall and recognition are consistent with both Fuzzy Trace Theory and Associative-Activation Theory of the DRM effect. The generation of false memory with brief delays (3–4 s) is better explained by Associative-Activation Theory. Examining the connectivity between target items, and critical lures, and the effect that has during study and retrieval, can provide insight into the persistence of false memory for critical lures.

Effects of Age and Self-Performance on Memory for the Actions of Other People

This research tested whether performing an action themselves leads young and older adults to have difficulty remembering which of a number of other people had performed that same action. It also tested whether observing another person perform an action leads to false memory for self-performance of that action. Young adults and healthy older adults 62 to 88 years of age viewed videos of actors performing actions. After viewing some of the actions, participants were instructed to perform those same actions themselves. Participants were tested one week later on their memory for their own actions and for the actions of the actors in the videos. Older adults were more strongly influenced by self-performance than were young adults when asked whether the actor in a test item had performed the same action previously. Young adults performed better than older adults at discriminating the correct and incorrect actors in the videos, although both groups showed reduced discrimination for actions that they had also performed themselves. The two groups were equally likely to falsely remember having performed an action that had only appeared in the videos, but young adults were better able than older adults to correctly identify the actions that they had in fact performed. Older adults thus have greater difficulty than young adults at distinguishing self-performed actions from actions performed by other people. This suggests the existence of common representations for the actions of oneself and others that must be bound to identity information to specify the correct source of the actions.

Zur Aufhebung von Scheinerinnerungen: Neue Befunde von Oeberst et al. (2021) und ihre aktuelle Übertragbarkeit in die forensische Praxis

A current finding by Oeberst et al. (2021) suggests a reversal of false memories of autobiographical events by means of source and false memory sensitization. The use of both techniques led to a significant reduction in the recollection quality of false memories in the sample examined. At the same time, the quality of memories of true experiences was barely diminished. Such results are seldom and significant, transferring them into forensic practice would be beneficial. However, if the meaningfulness and potential transferability of the results is examined more closely against the backdrop of forensic practice’s demands, it becomes apparent that using techniques in such a manner has not yet been sufficiently investigated and empirically verified. This applies to the psychological assessment of credibility as for the police questioning of witnesses. More details are discussed in the present article, whereby the study by Oeberst et al, its results, informative value and validity is successively and primarily referred to in relation to the psychological assessment of credibility.

Empathy reduces susceptibility to false memory

Psychological and physiological evidence has demonstrated that the underlying mechanisms for empathy and for autobiographical memories were related to a great extent. However, whether the facilitative effect of empathy on memory also applied to misinformation was unknown. To test this, we used a misinformation paradigm on a sample of 51 participants aged 20–27. The participants viewed videos that evoked different degrees of empathy, and then were fed misleading information. The participants’ susceptibility to misleading information was lower for the videos that provoked a high degree of empathy compared to the videos that provoked a low degree of empathy. Based on our data, we conclude that empathy can prevent people from being misled by false information.

Factors that Influence Adults' False Memories also Influence Children's False Memories

<p>The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate whether Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model for adult false memory development also accounts for children's false memory develoment. Thus, three studies were conducted targeting different aspects of Mazzoni et al.'s model. Study 1 examined whether children could become equally confident, and develop just as many memories of a plausible as a less plausible false event. Thus, study 1 targeted both the plausibility and memory construction components of Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model. Over three interviews 6-year olds and 10-year olds were shown two true photos and two false photos created using Photoshop(copyright)-one depicted a plausible event and one depicted a less plausible event. Children described what they could remember about each of the four events, and rated their confidence and how much they could remember. The results showed that within each age group, children were just as confident and claimed to remember just as much about the plausible as the less plausible event. Moreover, children developed just as many memories of the plausible as the less plausible event. In addition, children were just as likely to develop memories of the false events when they were told that those events had happened in the distant past versus the recent past. Study 2 examined whether including personalised detail in the false photo makes it easier for children to construct images of the false event, and therefore increases the likelihood of children developing false memories. Thus, study 2 further examined the memory construction component of Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model. Ten-year olds saw four photos, one of which was false. For some children the false photo included personalised detail, while for others the false photo included only generic detail. The results showed that children who saw the personalised detail in the false photo were more confident, and claimed to remember more about the false event than children who did not see the personalised detail. Moreover, children who saw the personalised detail were also more likely to develop images and memories of the false event. Study 3 examined whether event information would help children develop more false memories then protagonist information alone. Thus, Study 3 also examined the memory construction component of Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model. Ten-year olds were asked about for events. All children saw a photo of their family members from the relevant time period. However, half the children also saw a photo depicting an aspect of the specific event to be recalled. The results showed that children who saw a photo depicting an aspect of the event were not more confident nor did they claim to remember any more than children who saw only a photo of the protagonists. In addition, there was no difference in the rate of false memories and images between children who did and did not see a photo depicting an aspect of the event. Taken together, the results of these studies demonstrate that Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model does explain how children develop false memories. More specifically, these studies show that the level of detail, as well as the type of detail, are important factors in determining whether or not children will develop false memories.</p>

Factors that Influence Adults' False Memories also Influence Children's False Memories

<p>The primary aim of this thesis was to investigate whether Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model for adult false memory development also accounts for children's false memory develoment. Thus, three studies were conducted targeting different aspects of Mazzoni et al.'s model. Study 1 examined whether children could become equally confident, and develop just as many memories of a plausible as a less plausible false event. Thus, study 1 targeted both the plausibility and memory construction components of Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model. Over three interviews 6-year olds and 10-year olds were shown two true photos and two false photos created using Photoshop(copyright)-one depicted a plausible event and one depicted a less plausible event. Children described what they could remember about each of the four events, and rated their confidence and how much they could remember. The results showed that within each age group, children were just as confident and claimed to remember just as much about the plausible as the less plausible event. Moreover, children developed just as many memories of the plausible as the less plausible event. In addition, children were just as likely to develop memories of the false events when they were told that those events had happened in the distant past versus the recent past. Study 2 examined whether including personalised detail in the false photo makes it easier for children to construct images of the false event, and therefore increases the likelihood of children developing false memories. Thus, study 2 further examined the memory construction component of Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model. Ten-year olds saw four photos, one of which was false. For some children the false photo included personalised detail, while for others the false photo included only generic detail. The results showed that children who saw the personalised detail in the false photo were more confident, and claimed to remember more about the false event than children who did not see the personalised detail. Moreover, children who saw the personalised detail were also more likely to develop images and memories of the false event. Study 3 examined whether event information would help children develop more false memories then protagonist information alone. Thus, Study 3 also examined the memory construction component of Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model. Ten-year olds were asked about for events. All children saw a photo of their family members from the relevant time period. However, half the children also saw a photo depicting an aspect of the specific event to be recalled. The results showed that children who saw a photo depicting an aspect of the event were not more confident nor did they claim to remember any more than children who saw only a photo of the protagonists. In addition, there was no difference in the rate of false memories and images between children who did and did not see a photo depicting an aspect of the event. Taken together, the results of these studies demonstrate that Mazzoni et al.'s (2001) model does explain how children develop false memories. More specifically, these studies show that the level of detail, as well as the type of detail, are important factors in determining whether or not children will develop false memories.</p>