Differentiating between children's true and false memories using reality monitoring criteria

Abstract

The present study examined the efficacy of the reality monitoring (RM) criteria in differentiating between children's true and false memories. Two independent judges rated 190 transcripts of children's true and false memory reports along the RM criteria. Results showed that, overall, the RM criteria failed to distinguish between children's accounts of true and false events. However, when examining each RM criterion separately, we found that more visual details were present in children's true memories than in their false memories. Results also showed that more RM criteria were present at the second interview than at the first interview.