Both young and older adults discount suggestions from older adults on a social memory test

Abstract

In the present study, we examined the impacts of participant age and confederate age on social memory processes. During a collaborative recall phase, young and older adult participants were exposed to the erroneous memory reports of a young or an older adult confederate. On a subsequent individual recall test, young and older adult participants were equally likely to incorporate the confederates' erroneous suggestions into their memory reports, suggesting that participant age had a minimal effect on social memory processes. However, confederate age did have a marked effect: Young adult participants were less likely to incorporate misleading suggestions from older adult confederates and less likely to report "remembering" items suggested by older adult confederates. Critically, older adult participants were also less likely to incorporate misleading information from fellow older adult confederates. Both young and older adult participants discounted older adult confederates' contributions to a memory test.

Social Transmission of False Memory in Small Groups and Large Networks

“…For instance, source credibility plays a role. Findings show that individuals are less likely to incorporate misinformation from an older adult (Davis & Meade, ; Kwong See, Hoffman, & Wood, ), a child (Skagerberg & Wright, ), or an out‐group member (Andrews & Rapp, ), presumably because of perceived low credibility. In contrast, participants rely on information more from partners with whom they have a prior relationship (e.g., friends or romantic partners) than from strangers (French, Garry, & Mori, ; Hope, Ost, Gabbert, Healey, & Lenton, ), presumably because of perceived reliability.…”

“…For instance, even when we might have read or watched accurate reports of breaking news event, it is possible for us to incorporate related misinformation that a colleague later mentions in conversation. As reviewed earlier, this can happen if we do not actively assess the accuracy of information because of reasons such as perceived or actual expertise, reliability, or confidence of the social source (e.g., Andrews & Rapp, ; Davis & Meade, ; Hope et al., ; Numbers et al., ; Wright et al., ). Future research on conditions that promote the ability to separate fact from fiction is particularly relevant and timely in this Internet age of rapid and vast dissemination of information and misinformation.…”

Eyewitness Memory Distortion Following Co-Witness Discussion: A Replication of Garry, French, Kinzett, and Mori (2008) in Ten Countries

“…For example, socially avoidant participants tend to conform less whereas socially anxious participants tend to conform more (Wright, Busnello, Buratto, & Stein, 2012;Wright, London, & Waechter, 2010). Partner characteristics may also play a role, as participants tend to conform more towards familiar than unfamiliar partners Hope et al, 2008) and more towards younger than older adults (Davis & Meade, 2013;Meade, McNabb, Lindeman, & Smith, 2017).…”

Investigating the effects of age and gender on cowitness suggestibility during blame attribution

“…Post-event discussions are to be expected, as eyewitnesses will often choose to discuss the event with others as a means of validating their own account (Blank, 2009;Williamson, Weber, & Robertson, 2013). However, research has shown that post-event discussions can influence many witnesses into reporting unwitnessed information, learnt from other cowitnesses, into their own statements-a process commonly referred to as memory conformity (Carlucci, Kieckhaefer, Schwartz, Villalba, & Wright, 2010;Davis & Meade, 2013;Garry, French, Kinzett, & Mori, 2008;Paterson & Kemp, 2006b;Paterson, Kemp, & Forgas, 2009;Paterson, Kemp, & McIntyre, 2012;Roediger, Meade, & Bergman, 2001;Wright, Mathews, & Skagerberg, 2005).…”