False memories and individual variations: The role of Field Dependence–Independence

Abstract

Susceptibility to false memory is influenced by exogenous factors (e.g. depth of processing), endogenous factors (e.g. age, emotion) and by some individual difference measures. The aim of this research was to assess an individual difference variable, Field Dependence–Independence, in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm. The DRM paradigm consists in displaying to participants lists of words that are associated with a non-presented critical lure and false memory is demonstrated when participants report the non-presented lure as having being presented earlier. We find here that Field-Dependent participants falsely recalled and recognized more critical lures than did Field-Independent participants, findings discussed here as due to the distinction between item-specific and relational processing strategies.