Distinguishing between Memory Illusions and Actual Memories Using Phenomenological Measurements and Explicit Warnings

• Published in: The American journal of psychology Vol. 113; no. 1; pp. 1 - 26
• Main Authors: Anastasi, Jeffrey S., Rhodes, Matthew G., Burns, Matthew C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Champaign, IL University of Illinois Press 2000; University of Illinois Press, etc
• Subjects: Academic libraries; Adult; Analysis; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Cognition; Consciousness; Cues; Experimental psychology; False memory; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Learning. Memory; Male; Memory; Memory, Short-Term; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Recovered memory; Recovered memory (Psychology); Repression, Psychology; Research universities; Sleep; Studies; Summarization; Warnings; Word Association Tests; Human; Phenomenology; Discrimination; Methodology; Memory; Recollection; Cognition; False memory; Experimental study
• ISSN: 0002-9556; 1939-8298
• DOI: 10.2307/1423458

Previous research has demonstrated that the false memory effect is robust and that false memories are essentially indistinguishable from memories for events that actually occurred. The current study used several techniques intended to eliminate false memories (source monitoring decisions, confidence ratings, remember/know judgments, and explicit warnings). A robust false memory effect was found in each experiment. However, participants were able to differentiate false memories and actual memories when using specific phenomenological tasks. The current findings provide insight into basic human memory processes.