Eliminating age differences in children’s and adults’ suggestibility and memory conformity effects.

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link AbstractWe examined whether typical developmental trends in suggestion-induced false memories (i.e., age-related decrease) could be changed. Using theoretical principles from the spontaneous false memory field, we adapted two often-used false memory procedures: misinformation (Experiment 1) and memory conformity (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, 7/9-year old children (n = 33) and adults (n = 39) received stories containing associatively-related details. They then listened to misinformation in the form of short narrative preserving the meaning of the story. Children and adults were equally susceptible to the misinformation effect. In Experiment 2, younger (7/8-yearolds, n = 30) and older (11/12-year-olds, n = 30) children and adults (n = 30) viewed pictures containing associatively-related details. They viewed these pictures in pairs. Although the pictures differed, participants believed they had viewed the same pictures. Participants had to report what they could recollect during collaborative and individual recall tests. Children and adults were equally susceptible to memory conformity effects. When correcting for response bias, adults' false memory scores were even higher than children's. Our results show that age trends in suggestion-induced false memories are not developmentally invariant.

Immediate interviewing increases children's suggestibility in the short term, but not in the long term

“…In such a design, all participant witnesses are tested initially, but retrieval-enhanced suggestibility is assessed by comparing the misinformation recall probabilities between items that were included in the initial test with items that were omitted from the initial test. Our finding of the second experiment might be seen as encouraging in terms of practical issues; that is, for misinformation that is encountered after a delay, and not immediately, after someone is interviewed, retrieval may not increase suggestibility Otgaar, Howe, Brackmann, & van Helvoort, 2017;Otgaar, de Ruiter, et al, 2017). This finding is consistent with the prediction emerging from the memory reconsolidation framework, which has been applied as a secondary explanation for retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (Chan & LaPaglia, 2013;Chan et al, 2017).…”

“…This is in contrast with a plethora of research demonstrating that younger children are more vulnerable to external suggestions than older children (e.g., Ceci & Bruck, ; Loftus, ; Otgaar, Candel, Smeets, & Merckelbach, ; Sutherland & Hayne, ). However, this result is in line with recent research showing that under certain conditions, susceptibility to suggestion increases with age (Otgaar, Howe, et al., ). This research shows that such reversals in suggestibility take place when external suggestive pressure captures the underlying meaning/associative structure of the event.…”

Associative Activation as a Mechanism Underlying False Memory Formation

“…Collectively, these results suggest that false memories, regardless of whether they are simply suggested or induced using the DRM paradigm, follow an age-related increase from childhood through to adulthood because of increases in the speed and automaticity of associative activation (also see, Otgaar, Howe, Brackmann, & van Helvoort, 2017).…”

Consequences of False Memories in Eyewitness Testimony: A Review and Implications for Chinese Legal Practice

“…Furthermore, misinformation from familiar people such as a friend or a romantic partner has been shown to be more likely to be accepted than misinformation from a stranger (Hope, Ost, Gabbert, Healey, & Lenton, 2008). Recent research has revealed that memory conformity is apparent in both children and adults (e.g., Otgaar, Howe, Brackmann, & van Helvoort, 2017).…”