Closing the door to false memory: the effects of levels-of-processing and stimulus type on the rejection of perceptually vs. semantically dissimilar distractors

Abstract

False recognition memory for nonstudied items that share features with targets can be reduced by retrieval monitoring mechanisms. The recall-to-reject process, for example, involves the recollection of information about studied items that disqualifies inconsistent test probes. Monitoring for specific features during retrieval may be enhanced by an encoding orientation that is recapitulated during retrieval. In two experiments, we used concrete words or door scenes as materials and manipulated the level of processing at study and the type of distractors presented at test. We showed that for the verbal material, semantic level of processing at study results in an effective rejection of semantically inconsistent distractors. However, for the pictorial material, the perceptual level of processing leads to an effective rejection of perceptually inconsistent distractors. For targets, the effect of levels of processing was observed for words but not for pictures. The results suggest that retrieval monitoring mechanisms depend on interactions between encoding orientation, study materials, and differentiating features of distractors.

Representation of shared surface information and false memory for abstract versus concrete pictures in the conjoint recognition paradigm

“…This prediction was confirmed for the colour manipulation, but not for the blocked presentation manipulation, as we found no increase in false alarms to related distractors in the blocked condition. Enhanced distinctiveness between the categories should lead to a decrease in false alarms to unrelated distractors which do not have category-specific features, and can be rejected on this basis (Nieznański & Obidziński, 2022 ). From the perspective of the context noise model of recognition memory, one can predict that it is easier for participants to form separate category representations and incorporate them into the contextual representation under blocked rather than random presentation conditions.…”

“…We expected that related distractors that have this additional feature in common with targets would be falsely recognised more often (cf. Nieznański & Obidziński, 2022 ). Following Chen et al’s ( 2018 ) suggestion that the surface details connected to a category are stored with traces of semantic information, we predicted that adding such a feature will help subjects to extract semantic information connected with the category and will increase false recognition based on gist-trace retrieval for semantically related distractors.…”

“…Any factor that makes discriminating targets and distractors’ perceptual features harder should result in decreases in recollection rejection and, in consequence, a higher level of false memory than for easy discriminable items (cf. Nieznański & Obidziński, 2022 ). In this approach, it is clear that perceptual similarity leads to the failure of false acceptance suppression , however, it is unspecified how these false acceptances of related distractors as targets are fomented (if not by gist-based processes).…”

“…The second aim of the current research was to study the role of adding a surface detail to the targets belonging to a category, for false recognition of distractors belonging to this category and sharing this surface detail (cf. Nieznański & Obidziński, 2022 ). This issue is connected to our main research question about how shared surface details are represented in memory; the manipulation of adding a surface feature tests the consequences of strengthening relatedness within a category of stimuli and decreasing it between categories.…”

Desarrollo y validación de una tarea experimental de Memoria Episódica verbal en español

“…El primero refiere a la proporción de procesamiento que una persona compromete ante una tarea desafiante (16) . El nivel de procesamiento alude al grado de profundidad con que se procesa la información, variando desde un nivel superficial, que atiende a elementos más perceptuales, hasta un nivel más profundo, que atiende al significado (17) .…”