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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory
Published on: January 31, 2017
The reliability of the DRM paradigm as a measure of individual differences in false memories
Irene V Blair1, Alison P Lenton, Reid Hastie
1Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder 80309-0345, USA. irene.blair@colorado.edu
Abstract:
Despite considerable research on the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, little attention has been paid to the reliability of the paradigm as a measure of individual differences. In the present research, we examined the reliability of the DRM paradigm in a 2-week test-retest design. This analysis showed that the false memories produced in the paradigm were quite stable across the 2-week period and that this stability had both global (cross-list) and list-specific components. In contrast, correct memories showed only global stability across the testing period.
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