False recognition with the Deese-Roediger-McDermott-Reid-Solso procedure: a quantitative summary

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Memory Research
• Experimental Psychology

Background:

• The Deese-Roediger-McDermott-Read-Solso (DRMRS) procedure is a paradigm for studying false memory.
• Participants study word lists associated with unstudied critical themes.
• Memory recall accuracy and error patterns are investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the rate of false recognition of critical themes in the DRMRS procedure.
• To compare false recognition rates with hit rates and false alarm rates.
• To explore the underlying mechanisms and theoretical explanations for false recognition.

Main Methods:

• Meta-analysis of 224 estimates from DRMRS procedure studies.
• Analysis of recognition memory performance (hits, false alarms, false recognition).
• Examination of subjective confidence ratings and judgments of remembering/knowing.

Main Results:

• The rate of false recognition for non-studied critical themes was .59.
• False recognition rates were lower than hit rates (.75) but higher than false alarm rates (.13–.19).
• Subjective confidence in false recognition was similar to correct recognition, exceeding confidence in false alarms.

Conclusions:

• False recognition in the DRMRS paradigm is a distinct memory error, more akin to correct recognition than other errors.
• Evidence suggests false recognition arises from the activation of critical themes during encoding and recall, linked to gist traces and source memory failures.
• Fuzzy trace theory provides a framework for understanding the differential roles of verbatim and gist traces in memory performance.