Children's false memories: different false memory paradigms reveal different results

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine whether two different false memory paradigms (DRM vs suggestion) produce similar results. In Experiment 1, 100 children from four age groups (5/6-year-olds, 7/8-year-olds, 9/10-year-olds, and 11/12-year-olds) were instructed to remember lists of semantically related words (DRM paradigm) and to complete a children's suggestibility measure (i.e. BTSS-NL). Results showed that children's false memories for non-presented words increased with age while accepting suggestive information decreased with age. Moreover, no significant relation was found between children's susceptibility to the DRM illusion and concurring to suggestive information. In Experiment 2, DRM false recall and recognition was compared between children with (n=20) and without (n=20) false memories for entire events. Children with implanted false memories did not falsely recall and recognize more critical lures than children without implanted false memories. This study shows that children's DRM intrusions are not related to their acceptance of suggestive information.