False Remembering in the Aged

Researchers studying human memory have increasingly focused on memory accuracy in aging populations. In this article we briefly review the literature on memory accuracy in healthy older adults. The prevailing evidence indicates that, compared to younger adults, older adults exhibit both diminished m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent directions in psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 49 - 53
Main Authors Jacoby, Larry L., Rhodes, Matthew G.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA Blackwell Publishers 01.04.2006
SAGE Publications
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Age
Aging
Confidence tricks
False memory
Fraud
Irony
Memory
Memory disorders
Memory recall
Misinformation
Older adults
Older people
memory accuracy
memory
aging
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Summary:Researchers studying human memory have increasingly focused on memory accuracy in aging populations. In this article we briefly review the literature on memory accuracy in healthy older adults. The prevailing evidence indicates that, compared to younger adults, older adults exhibit both diminished memory accuracy and greater susceptibility to misinformation. In addition, older adults demonstrate high levels of confidence in their false memories. We suggest an explanatory framework for the high level of false memories observed in older adults, a framework based on the theory that consciously controlled uses of memory decline with age, making older adults more susceptible to false memories that rely on automatic processes. We also point to future research that may remedy such deficits in accuracy.
ISSN:0963-7214
1467-8721
DOI:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2006.00405.x