The Imagery of False Memory
Sarah Grossman and Chelsie Knoll
University off Wisconsin – Stout,
S
Menomonie, Wisconsin
Advisor: Dr. Desiree Budd
Method
Introduction
• When shown a list of words related to a theme (e.g. kitchen),
where a highly typical member is not present (e.g. stove)
• People often falsely remember the highly stereotypical but
absent word (e.g., stove).
• Theoretical cause of false memory
• Exposure to a particular word (e.g. refrigerator) causes
other semantically related words in memory (e.g. stove)
to become somewhat activated.
• Activation of the non-present but related word results
in sense of familiarity for those items.
• Thus, false memories dependent on activation of
related semantic information (relational processing).
Eff t off Pi
Effect
Picture
t
F
Formatt
• Pictures reduce false memory
• Presenting pictures of the items named results in
impoverished relational encoding and fewer false
memories (intrusions) than presenting items as words.
• Exposure to a particular picture (e.g. refrigerator)
causes individual to focus mostly on visual details of the
picture (item-specific processing).
• Activation
A i i off non-present but
b related
l d iitems iis not as
likely to occur.
• Even if related information is semantically activated
and feels familiar, it will lack visual details needed for
false memory.
Effect of Mental Image?
• Does forming a mental image also reduce
false memory?
• Item-specific imagery:
• read word Æ creation of visual details for the named object
only (mostly item-specific processing).
• Activation of non-present but related items not likely to
occur.
pictures + words).
)
• Decreased false memoryy ((similar to p
• Relational imagery:
• read word Æ creation of visual details for named object plus
activation of visual details of related items (item-specific +
relational processing).
• Increased false memory (similar to words only).
• All p
participants
p
saw a list of words. Half of the words described
items typically kitchen items and half described typical bathroom
items.
Word Lists
100
Kitchen
Refrigerator
Plate
Bowl
Microwave
Spatula
Pot
Cup
Fork
Coffeemaker
Toaster
Knife
Garbage Can
Bathroom
Shower
Soap
Towel
Bathtub
Toothbrush
Mirror
Toothpaste
Hairdryer
Razor
Hairbrush
Lipstick
Comb
• Participants were randomly assigned to imagery
instructions or view pictures of items named.
• Relational Imagery Instructions (items presented
according to semantic association strength, strongest
semantic associates first)
• You will be viewing a list of items typically found in a kitchen. Create
an image of the item named and how that item might look within a
typical kitchen. For example, where it might be located in relation to
other items typically found in a kitchen.
• Item-Specific
Item Specific Imagery Instructions (items presented
in random order)
• Form an image of each of the items named by the words. For
example, if the first word on the list was “bird”, you should create an
image of a robin and then say how vivid that image is.
• Picture plus word (items presented according to
semantic association strength, strongest semantic
associates first)
• Shown an picture of the item named and asked to indicate how
prototypical the picture of the item was.
• Recognition Test
New Related
Shaving cream
toilet
shampoo
toilet paper
Sink
stove
spoon
dishwasher
dish soap
Old Items
bathtub
towel
toothbrush
mirror
hairdryer
razor
refrigerator
Fork
microwave
garbage can
Knife
cup
Pe
ercent Recognized
• The DRM p
paradigm:
g
Recognition Memory Test
Hits
80
Related False Alarms
60
Unrelated False
Alarms
40
20
0
Relational
Item-Specific
Picture
Encoding Condition
Conclusions
• Creating mental images of items named enhances
true memory for list items compared to looking at
pictures.
• People in the imagery groups (relational & item
specific) correctly identified significantly more items
than people in the picture group.
• Using relational imagery increases likelihood of false
memories.
• People in the relational imagery group falsely
identified significantly more related lures than people
in the item-specific imagery and picture groups.
What is next?
• How well can people differentiate between memories
f actual
for
t l pictures
i t
memory and
d memories
i ffor mental
t l
images they formed at encoding?
New Unrelated
Chair
table
Bed
Couch
Dresser
lamp
CONTACT INFO:
Email: grossmans@uwstout.edu
Email: knollc@uwstout.edu