Deese-Roediger-McDermott Paradigm Research Articles

Investigating a bias account of emotional false memories using a criterion warning and force choice restrictions at retrieval

ABSTRACT Here, we add to the debate as to whether false recognition of emotional stimuli is more memory-based or more bias-based. Emotional false memory findings using the DRM paradigm have been marked by higher false alarms to negatively arousing compared to neutral critical lure items. Explanation for these findings has mainly focused on false memory-based accounts. However, here we address the question of whether a response bias for emotional stimuli can, at least in part, explain this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, we used a criterion warning, previously shown to increase more conservative responding and reduce false recognition. Experiment 2, we employed a two-alternative-forced choice test, which minimises the role of criterion setting. In both experiments, we compared false alarms to negative and neutral critical lures. We observed a significant decrease in false recognition rates for both negative and neutral critical lures under the conditions of forced choice restriction and criterion warning. However, despite these conditions, negative items, compared to their neutral counterparts, still consistently provoked a higher degree of false recognition. The discussion that follows presents an exploration of both memory-based accounts and criterion-setting explanations for the enhanced emotional false memory finding.

Reduced false memory in the second language of Turkish-English bilinguals

In the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, studying a list of semantically related words leads to false memory for the critical non-studied word that is related to all the words in the study list. Previous studies questioning whether bilinguals are more prone to false memory in their first language (L1) or second language (L2) in the DRM paradigm revealed mixed results. The present study investigated the same question with Turkish-English bilinguals. The revised hierarchical model proposes that the link between the lexicon and the semantic system is weaker in L2 than in L1, suggesting that false memory in the DRM paradigm that relies on semantic relatedness would be higher in L1 than in L2. Furthermore, previous studies showed that L2 is more resistant to errors in decision-making when the two languages are dissimilar, but not when they are similar, and Turkish and English are historically distant and typologically dissimilar languages. We tested Turkish-English bilingual participants whose L1 is Turkish with Turkish and English DRM word lists that had similar prior norms for generating false recognition. In the recognition test, some of the studied items and the critical non-studied items were presented and participants identified the studied items. False recognition for the critical non-studied items was lower and correct recognition for studied items was higher in L2 than in L1. The results suggest that L2 is more resistant to false memory due to its weaker lexicon and semantic system associations, at least when the two languages spoken by the bilingual are dissimilar.

Examining the effects of pleasantness ratings on correct and false recognition in the DRM paradigm: accuracy, recollection and familiarity estimates.

Distinctive encoding usually increases correct recognition while also producing a reduction in false recognition. In the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) illusion this phenomenon, called the mirror effect, occurs when participants focus on unique features of each of the words in the study list. In previous studies, the pleasantness rating task, used to foster distinctive encoding, generated different patterns of results. The main aim of our research is to examine under what circumstances this task can produce the mirror effect in the DRM paradigm, based on evidence from recognition accuracy and subjective retrieval experience. In Experiment 1, a standard version (word pleasantness rating on a 5-point Likert-type scale) was used for comparison with two other encoding conditions: shallow processing (vowel identification) and a read-only control. The standard task, compared to the other conditions, increased correct recognition, but did not reduce false recognition, and this result may be affected by the number of lists presented for study. Therefore, in experiment 2, to minimize the possible effect of the so-called retention size, the number of studied lists was reduced. In addition, the standard version was compared with a supposedly more item-specific version (participants rated the pleasantness of words while thinking of a single reason for this), also including the read-only control condition. In both versions of the pleasantness rating task, more correct recognition is achieved compared to the control condition, with no differences between the two versions. In the false recognition observed here, only the specific pleasantness rating task achieved a reduction relative to the control condition. On the other hand, the subjective retrieval experience accompanied correct and false recognition in the various study conditions. Although the standard pleasantness rating task has been considered to perform item-specific processing, our results challenge that claim. Furthermore, we propose a possible boundary condition of the standard task for the reduction of false recognition in the DRM paradigm.

The Effect of Image Coding Processing Level and Presentation Style on False Memory: Based on DRM Paradigm

The Effect of Image Coding Processing Level and Presentation Style on False Memory: Based on DRM Paradigm

Intuitive thinking predicts false memory formation due to a decrease in inhibitory efficiency.

False memory formation is usually studied using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm (DRM), in which individuals incorrectly remember words that were not originally presented. In this paper, we systematically investigated how two modes of thinking (analytical vs. intuitive) can influence the tendency to create false memories. The increased propensity of intuitive thinkers to generate more false memories can be explained by one or both of the following hypotheses: a decrease in the inhibition of the lure words that come to mind, or an increased reliance on the familiarity heuristic to determine if the word has been previously studied. In two studies, we conducted tests of both recognition and recall using the DRM paradigm. Our observations indicate that a decrease in inhibitory efficiency plays a larger role in false memory formation compared to the use of the familiarity heuristic.

False memory in between-language conditions: a brief review on the effect of encoding and retrieving in different languages.

False memories have been extensively investigated over the past few decades using the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. In this paradigm, participants study lists of words associatively related to a non-presented critical lure. During a memory test, these critical lures are falsely recalled or recognized. Most studies have focused on false memories that arise when both encoding and retrieval are conducted in the same language (i.e., within-language conditions), which is typically the participant's native or first language (L1). However, much less is known about false memories when critical lures appear in the memory test in a different language than the studied lists (i.e., between-language conditions), being one of them the participant's second language (L2). The main objective of this exhaustive review was to provide an overview of the current state of research on false recognition using the DRM paradigm in between-language conditions, where languages are switched between encoding and retrieval (i.e., L1L2 versus L2L1). The results revealed a language dominance effect in between-language false memories. In other words, false recognition rates were dependent on the study language, with a trend toward higher false recognition when words were enconded in the L1 (L1L2) compared to when words were encoded in the L2 (L2L1). This review enhances our understanding of how studying words in a first or second language affects false memory in the DRM paradigm, emphasizing the significance of investigating false memory in second language speakers and the necessity for further research in the field.

A study of EEG non-stationarity on inducing false memory in different emotional states

False memory leads to inaccurate decisions and unnecessary challenges. Researchers have conventionally used electroencephalography (EEG) to study false memory under different emotional states. However, EEG non-stationarity has scarcely been investigated. To address this problem, this study utilized the nonlinear method of recursive quantitative analysis to analyze the non-stationarity of EEG signals. Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm experiments were used to induce false memory wherein semantic words were highly correlated. The EEG signals of 48 participants with false memory associated with different emotional states were collected. Recurrence rate (RR), determination rate (DET), and entropy recurrence (ENTR) data were generated to characterize EEG non-stationarity. Behavioral outcomes exhibited significantly higher false-memory rates in the positive group than in the negative group. The prefrontal, temporal, and parietal regions yielded significantly higher RR, DET, and ENTR values than other brain regions in the positive group. However, only the prefrontal region had significantly higher values than other brain regions in the negative group. Therefore, positive emotions enhance non-stationarity in brain regions associated with semantics compared with negative emotions, leading to a higher false-memory rate. This suggests that non-stationary alterations in brain regions under different emotional states are correlated with false memory.

False memory in a second language: The importance of controlling the knowledge of word meaning.

In the globalized world we live in, it is increasingly common for people to speak more than one language. Although research in psychology has been widely interested in the study of false memories with the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, to date, there is a scarcity of studies comparing false memories in the first and the second language (L1 and L2, respectively). It is noteworthy that one of the most studied variables in the DRM paradigm, the backward associative strength (BAS), has hardly been studied in the L2. Moreover, the only study that recently examined this matter found differences in the knowledge of L2-word meaning between the high-BAS and low-BAS lists, which would hinder the interpretation of the BAS effect in L2 false memories. Taking all this into account, the current work examined false memories in the L1 (Spanish) and the L2 (English) as a function of BAS overcoming the limitations of the previous study. We selected DRM lists using both Spanish and English free association norms and lists were constructed to vary in BAS values while controlling the knowledge of word meaning. Results showed that false recognition was greater in the L1 or dominant language than in the L2 or non-dominant language. Furthermore, BAS modulated the false recognition in both the L1 and the L2. That is, false recognition was higher in high-BAS than low-BAS lists in both languages. Sensitivity index from the signal-detection theory helped us gain further insight into these results. The main findings are discussed in the light of theoretical models from both the false memory and the second language processing literature. Finally, practical implications and future research are provided.

The priming effect of creativity improves veridical memory in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm

The priming effect on creativity refers to the more effective creation of new uses for the second (vs. first) object in a two-item task. This, along with veridical memory loss in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm, is related to mental fixation, and both can be improved when attention is given to item-specific features. We studied the cognitive mechanism of this priming effect by utilizing the DRM paradigm with a sample of 91 undergraduates recruited from a university in China. We used a two-item task and the DRM paradigm under rapid and slow presentation conditions to verify our hypotheses by dividing words into high false memory (HFM) and low false memory (LFM) lists. The results showed that the veridical memory of the HFM lists was improved under the slow (vs. rapid) condition for individuals in the high priming effect group, but not for those in the low priming effect group. Implications are discussed.

The fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) in adults and children: testing trait-congruent false memories in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm

Abstract The fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) is an individual differences variable characterized by negative reactions to laughter. Based on the theory of trait-congruent information processing, we conducted a series of experiments to examine a gelotophobia-related memory bias toward laughter in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm. The DRM is a reliable method to provoke false memories (FM). In Study 1 (101 adults), gelotophobia related positively to FM of the “laughter”-lure in recognition, and greater confidence in that FM (d ≤ 0.32). However, findings did not replicate in independent samples of 167 adults and 172 children of the preregistered Study 2. Aggregating the findings across studies indicated that gelotophobia is unrelated to laughter-related FM in the DRM paradigm (d ≤ 0.10) and that FM do not account for gelotophobes’ memories of ridicule.

Slovenian Version of the Deese–Roediger–McDermott Paradigm: A Normative and Exploratory Study

The research with the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm has accumulated substantial evidence for the reliable cross-cultural false memory effect. However, only a limited set of languages has had the benefit of receiving their own version of the DRM paradigm, let alone the corresponding normative data. In this study, we used 728 participants (594 women) to create the first Slovenian version of the DRM paradigm, and another 90 participants (66 women) to test its effectiveness in inducing false memories and conduct exploratory analyses. We are the first one to conduct a normative DRM study entirely online and among the few that measured reaction times (RTs) besides commonly employed accuracy measures. Overall, the participants recalled 69% of the list items and 14% of the critical lures, and additionally recognised 79% of the list items and 45% of the critical lures. The participants recalled and recognised list items as fast as critical lures and significantly faster than unrelated words. The study shows that false memories can be effectively explored by using the online format of the DRM paradigm. Future studies should investigate the relationship between RTs and accuracy measures, the relationship between recall and recognition, as well as the effects of the experimental environment on the results of the DRM studies in more detail. We hope that the provided material and its scrutiny will contribute to the progress in false memory research, especially in the Slovenian language environment.

When distorted logos are recognized as original? The role of the DRM procedure in detection of immediate and delayed consumers’ errors

IntroductionTo deal effectively with the market, one must create a distinct logo from competing logos. However, it is not uncommon that similarities between logos of various companies are enough to mislead consumers. This paper shows how the DRM paradigm as well as prototype theories can be used to investigate correct and erroneous recognitions of distorted familiar and unfamiliar logos in short- and long-term memory. MethodThe modified hybrid DRM procedure was adopted to test brand images that were distorted but perceptually similar. Participants performed the experimental task in which short- and long-term memory for logos were tested. ResultsThe results demonstrated no difference in memory performance between familiar and unfamiliar logos after a short delay. However, a discrepancy between recognizing both types of logos arose in long term memroy toward more errors for familiar images. ConclusionsThe results confirm that the DRM procedure can be successfully used by marketers as a potential tool in either detecting unfair competition or launching new brands.

Distinctive Sans Forgetica font does not benefit memory accuracy in the DRM paradigm

A common method used by memory scholars to enhance retention is to make materials more challenging to learn-a benefit termed desirable difficulties. Recently, researchers have investigated the efficacy of Sans Forgetica, a perceptually disfluent/distinctive font which may increase processing effort required at study and enhance memory as a result. We examined the effects of Sans Forgetica relative to a standard control font (Arial) on both correct memory and associative memory errors using the Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, to evaluate Sans Forgetica effects on overall memory accuracy. Across four experiments, which included nearly 300 participants, Sans Forgetica was found to have no impact on correct or false memory of DRM lists relative to a standard Arial control font, regardless of whether font type was manipulated within or between subjects or whether memory was assessed via free recall or recognition testing. Our results indicate that Sans Forgetica is ineffective for improving memory accuracy even when accounting for associative memory errors.

Learning and vulnerability to phonological and semantic interference in normal aging: an experimental study

ABSTRACT This study compares semantic and phonological interference vulnerability across the full range of learning processes. Method: 43 controls aged 61–88 underwent a neuropsychological examination, French adaptation of the LASSI-L, and an experimental phonological test, the TIP-A. Paired sample t-tests, factorial ANOVA and hierarchical regressions were conducted, psychometric properties were calculated. Results: TIP-A efficiently generated phonological interference between concurrent word lists and was associated with short-term memory, unlike LASSI-L. On LASSI-L, proactive interference was higher than retroactive interference; the opposite pattern was found on TIP-A. Memory performance was better explained by age in the semantic than in the phonological task. Age was not associated with interference vulnerability. Intrusions and false recognition were associated with cognitive functioning regardless of age, particularly in the semantic context. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess phonological and semantic interference using homologous concurrent word list tasks, and not a working memory build-up or DRM paradigm. The pattern obtained illustrates the weak initial memory trace in a phonological context and results are discussed according to depth-of-processing and dual-process theories. Similar paradigms could be studied among various pathologies for a better understanding of generalised interference vulnerability vs. specific semantic or phonological impairment.

False recalls, but not false recognitions, at the DRM paradigm are increased in subjects reporting insomnia symptoms: An online study

BackgroundIn insomnia, poor sleep is accompanied by several cognitive impairments affecting prefrontal functioning that could affect source-monitoring processes and contribute to false memories production. By using a modified version of the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm (DRM), we previously found that individuals suffering from insomnia produced more false memories than good sleepers adopting a free-recall task, especially for sleep-related stimuli. However, whether poor sleep affects false memory production in a task-dependent manner (i.e., free recall or recognition) remains unclear. MethodsThrough an online research method, we adopted the classical DRM paradigm to investigate the production of false recalls and false recognitions in 32 subjects referring insomnia symptoms (IN group) and 37 good sleepers (GS group), addressing also executive functioning and source monitoring ability in both groups. ResultsCompared to the GS group, the IN group produced more false memories (p = .002) and intrusions (p = .004) at the free recall task and showed a lower working memory index (p = .008). No between-groups differences emerged at the recognition task. Correlational analysis revealed significant associations between DRM performance, executive functioning and source monitoring (SM) variables. Moreover, false recalls were predicted by being in the presence of insomnia symptoms (p = .012) and intrusions by the number of correct responses to the Stroop task (p = .051) and SM task (p = .015), as well as by the presence of insomnia symptoms (p = .003). ConclusionsOur data show that the presence of insomnia symptoms can influence false memories production. Furthermore, the evidence that free recall is more affected than recognition suggests that poor sleep mainly affects performance at more cognitively demanding tasks. Finally, correlational and regression analyses support the hypothesis of a link between false memories production and both the presence of insomnia symptoms and executive functioning impairments.

The Effects Of High-intensity Acute Exercise On True And False Memory

Prior research suggests that acute exercise may improve the accuracy of long-term memory performance when the bout of exercise occurs prior to encoding. However, when exercise occurs during encoding, memory may be impaired. Limited research has evaluated whether acute exercise before or during memory encoding has a differential effect on true and false memories. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether acute high-intensity exercise differentially influences true and false memories based on whether the bout of acute exercise occurs before or during memory encoding. METHODS: Thirty seven healthy young adults (Mage = 21.2 years, female, 73%) participated in a three condition, within-subject counterbalanced experimental study, consisting of two exercise conditions and a control condition. The exercise conditions involved a 15 minute bout of high-intensity acute exercise. These conditions included the bout of exercise either Before or During the memory task. The control condition involved a time-matched seated task (video). Memory performance was assessed from the DRM (Deese-Roediger-McDermott) paradigm, including an immediate and delayed (20 minute post-encoding) free recall assessment. True memory was evaluated by the number of correctly recalled words from the study list. A false memory occurred if a non-presented critical item was recalled. A 3 (condition: control, before exercise, and during exercise) x 2 (time point: immediate and delay) repeated measures ANOVA was employed. RESULTS: High-intensity acute exercise prior to memory encoding did not affect true memory, but memory encoding during high-intensity acute exercise reduced true memory. For the condition effects, Before was not different from Control, Mdiff = -.22, p = .42. However, During was significantly worse than Before, Mdiff = -1.42, p < .001 and Control, Mdiff = -1.64, p < .001. For the time period effects, the delay period had lower true memory recall than the immediate time period, Mdiff = -1.32, p < .001. We found no main or interactive effects of exercise on false memory. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings suggest that exercising during memory encoding can reduce true memory performance, but this occurs without a change in false memory performance.

Do gender stereotypes give rise to false memories?

False memory is normally examined by the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm and it has shown an indirect association with gender stereotypes. In this study, gender effect on false memory formation along with the influence of emotional words stimuli were examined. 60 subjects (30 female) were recruited and they were exposed to 4 lists of 12 words in a DRM paradigm. Effects of gender stereotypes were examined using 2 lists of gender-categorized words. In addition, the emotional effect of the stimuli was also investigated by 2 lists of negatively-balanced or neutral lures (eg. blood or chair). Subsequently, false memory rates in the male and female participants were statistically compared using a mixed ANOVA model. The results showed a significant differential effect of gender on false memory formation as well as negative and neutral word stimuli.

The impact of fabrication on recognition memory: An experimental study

We examined whether fabrication affects memory using a new paradigm combining the Deese/Roediger-McDermott paradigm (DRM) and the Amsterdam Short Term Memory task (ASTM). Participants were assigned to either a forced fabrication or honest condition, and encoded emotionally-negative and neutral wordlists by reading words out loud. The wordlists contained words that were associatively related to each other (e.g., symphony, sound, piano, radio, sing, orchestra), and converged to a non-presented critical word (e.g., music). Next, all participants had to indicate two words that were previously read out loud. However, participants in the forced fabrication condition had to fabricate that they read two additional words out loud, which were associated to the same DRM list. Participants in the forced fabrication condition formed false memories for their self-generated fabrications. Although fabrication did not increase spontaneous false memory rates for non-presented critical words, our results did highlight the perils of forcing people to fabricate.

Comparing Autobiographical Brand Images and Neutral Images Regarding False Memory Formation.

Consumers' prior experiences form an episodic memory that largely influences their decision-making process. This episodic memory is mainly linked to cognitive and emotional perception and we know that brand image influences our cognitive and emotional perception. Nevertheless, it has not been well described how autobiographical memories of brand images differ from other types of images. In this study, we hypothesized that brand pictures have a higher chance to create false memories as compared to neutral ones. We investigated this hypothesis using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm with lists of brand pictures from the local market and associated neutral images from the international affective picture system. Thirty graduate students were exposed to image stimuli, followed by a distractor task and a recognition task. After the normality test, reaction times (RT), and false recognition rate of brands and neutral images were statistically compared using a pairwise t-test. The results showed a significant decrease in reaction time (RT) and an increase in the false recognition rate of brand pictures compared to neutral images. Interestingly, the effect of gender on the creation of false memory by autobiographical brand images was not significant. We hope these findings can pave the way for a better understanding of the false memory mechanism. Autobiographical brand images give a higher chance of false memory as compared to neutral imagesMen and women do not differ in the formation of false memoryReaction time in false memory is longer than in true memory.False positives create more cognitive load. We see many images around us every day, such as the image of different brands in our daily shopping, which puts us in front of different types of images, many of which are old, these brands become part of our life memories, and their images are aspects of autobiography. Therefore, these brands can form false memories for people. The image stimuli of this study are to investigate whether these images can form false memories or not. The results showed that the images that we see every day in the street of the supermarket and can change our memories.

Novel Approaches and Cognitive Neuroscience Perspectives on False Memory and Deception.

The DRM (Deese–Roediger–McDermott) paradigm produces robust false memories of non-presented critical words. After studying a thematic word list (e.g., bed, rest, and pillow) participants falsely remember the critical item “sleep.” We report two false memory experiments. Study One introduces a novel use of the lexical decision task (LDT) to prime critical words. Participants see two letter-strings and make timed responses indicating whether they are both words. The word pairs Night-Bed and Dream-Thweeb both prime “sleep” but only one pair contains two words. Our primary purpose is to introduce this new methodology via two pilot experiments. The results, considered preliminary, are promising as they indicate that participants were as likely to recognize critical words (false memories) and presented words (true memories) just as when studying thematic lists. Study Two actually employs the standard DRM lists so that semantic priming is in play there as well. The second study, however, uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure activity in the prefrontal cortex during a DRM task which includes a deception phase where participants intentionally lie about critical lures. False and true memories occurred at high levels and activated many of the same brain regions but, compared to true memories, cortical activity was higher for false memories and lies. Accuracy findings are accompanied by confidence and reaction time results. Both investigations suggest that it is difficult to distinguish accurate from inaccurate memories. We explain results in terms of activation-monitoring theory and Fuzzy Trace Theory. We provide real world implications and suggest extending the present research to varying age groups and special populations. A nagging question has not been satisfactorily answered: Could neural pathways exist that signal the presence of false memories and lies? Answering this question will require imaging experiments that focus on regions of distinction such as the anterior prefrontal cortex.