An investigation of false memory in perceptual implicit tasks

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Memory Research

Background:

• Previous studies suggested that critical lure priming in implicit tasks indicates lexical form availability at study.
• The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) procedure is commonly used to investigate false memories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate "false" implicit priming in perceptual tests.
• To determine the conditions under which critical lure priming occurs.
• To examine the role of explicit retrieval in implicit memory.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments utilized the DRM procedure with semantic lists.
• Implicit and explicit stem completion tests were employed.
• A graphemic response test was used in one experiment.

Main Results:

• Explicit instructions reliably produced false memory.
• Implicit instructions led to priming for list items but not lure items.
• Lure item priming was observed only in "test-aware" subjects and in a combined analysis.

Conclusions:

• Access to the lexical form of critical lures may not occur under incidental learning with strong explicit retrieval controls.
• Boundary conditions for critical lure priming were established.
• Implicit priming effects are constrained and do not automatically reflect lexical availability.