Predictors of suggestibility and false-memory production in young adult women

Recent controversy over memories retrieved in therapy has highlighted the importance of increasing our understanding of individual differences in suggestibility and false-memory production. The purpose of this laboratory study was to assess the ability of several clinically relevant variables (acquiescence, self-esteem, and negative affect) to predict the tendency to yield to suggestive questioning, to alter responses in the face of interpersonal criticism, or to produce false memories (in this study, false recall of implied words). Results indicated that acquiescence significantly predicted suggestibility, as did competence self-esteem scores, but global self-esteem and negative affect scores did not. False-memory production (i.e., false recall of implied words) was associated with higher levels of both acquiescence and negative affect, but the tendency to alter responses after criticism was not significantly predicted by any variable.