1 - li: creating nonbelieved memories for bizzare actions using an imagination inflation procedure Flashcards
What are nonbelieved memories and autobiographical memories?
Nonbelieved memories: when someone vividly remembers an event but no longer believes it actually happened
Autobiographical memories: memories with a high belief that the event took place
What are some common reasons as to why nonbelieved memories occur?
-> social feedback: being told the action didn’t occur
-> fake (doctored) videos
-> false memory implementation: implement fake memory and then later tell them it was made up
-> Imagination inflation: imagining performing actions making them believe it happened and then challenging them, belief drops, but memory remains -> this is what they did in the study
What did the researchers hypothesize?
Participants would have stronger true memories for bizarre actions than for familiar ones
-> bizarre actions are more memorable and may be less susceptible to false memories
When challenged, less likely to give up belief of bizarre memory
Eliciting NBMs for bizarre actions would be harder
What was the 3 session procedure for experiment 1?
Session 1 (encoding)
-> Pps assigned to either perform, imagine or just hear an action
-> both bizarre and familiar
Session 2 (imagination) the next day
-> Pps imagined actions, mix of ones they’d seen and new ones
Session 3 (recognition and challnege) a week later
-> Pps tested on actions and asked if they saw it in first session and whether they performed, imagined or hear it
-> if they believe they saw it, they were challenged by being told they didn’t
What did they find in experiment 1 and how did this shape experiment 2?
-> More true memories for bizarre actions (they remembered these better)
-> less false memories for bizarre actions (they’re more distinct so harder to confuse)
When challenged
-> Pps gave up false beliefs more than true beliefs
-> more NBMs for familiar actions
HOWEVER
-> only a small number of pps developed nonbelieved memories
Researchers thought this was because
-> not enough true memories were challenged and the challenge wasn’t strong enough
-> so this is what they changed in experiment 2
What was the design of experiment 2?
Same as experiment 1, however only had people imagine or perform.
-> Removed the heard only condition
-> Stronger feedback manipulation compared to E1
What did they find in experiment 2?
-> Bizarre actions recognised better than familiar for true memories
-> Slightly more false memories for familiar actions than bizarre
When challenging
-> NBMs more likely after challenging false memories than true memories
-> more NBMs for bizarre actions
What were the effects of compliance?
Compliance had no effect on NBMs
-> shows people were not just being agreeable
How was recollection and belief affected by feedback?
Challenge memory
-> Belief dropped significantly after feedback (challenge), but recollection stayed stable
->Shows that belief and memory can be dissociated
Confirm memory
-> Belief and recollection increased
