False Memory in a Short-Term Memory Task

Abstract

The Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM; Roediger & McDermott, 1995) paradigm reliably elicits false memories for critical nonpresented words in recognition tasks. The present studies used a Sternberg (1966) task with DRM lists to determine whether false memories occur in short-term memory tasks and to assess the contribution of latency data in the measurement of false memories. Subjects studied three, five, or seven items from DRM lists and responded to a single probe (studied or nonstudied). In both experiments, critical lures were falsely recognized more often than nonpresented weak associates. Latency data indicated that correct rejections of critical lures were slower than correct rejections of weakly related items at all set sizes. False alarms to critical lures were slower than hits to list items. Latency data can distinguish veridical and false memories in a short-term memory task. Results are discussed in terms of activation-monitoring models of false memory.

Effects of Orthographic, Morphological and Semantic Overlap on Short-Term Memory for Words in Typical and Atypical Development

“…This paradigm has been used less often but avoids strategic use of overlapping information. Consistent with the findings for within-list similarity, probe paradigms similarly induce high rates of false recognition for probes with orthographic, phonological, or semantic similarity to a lure (Breadmore, 2007;Coane, McBride, Raulerson, & Jordan, 2007;Crosson et al, 1999;Shulman, 1970). High rates of false recognition are observed for target probes with morphological overlap; indeed the effect may be greater than that attributed to the combination of orthographic/phonological and semantic properties (Breadmore, 2007).…”

Get the gist? The effects of processing depth on false recognition in short-term and long-term memory

“…Recent research from our lab has further demonstrated the recalcitrance of the false memory illusion by documenting its occurrence within several seconds of studying brief four-item lists (Atkins & Reuter-Lorenz, 2008;Flegal, Atkins, & Reuter-Lorenz, 2010; see also Coane, McBride, Raulerson, & Jordan, 2007). Flegal et al (2010) used a new experimental paradigm to directly compare false memories in the same participants under short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM) conditions.…”

Associative relatedness enhances recall and produces false memories in immediate serial recall.

“…Coane, McBride, Raulerson and Jordan (2007) have embedded the DRM lists within a STM recognition (Sternberg) task. With memory set sizes of three, five and seven they measured both accuracy and RT for recognition of list items, the non-presented critical lure and other non-related, non-presented items.…”