Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

07:26
The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory
Published on: January 31, 2017
False memory and schizophrenia: evidence for gist memory impairment
Yuh-Shiow Lee1, Lai-Sang Iao, Chung-Wei Lin
1Department of Psychology, National Chung-Cheng University, Chiayi, Taiwan, ROC. psyysl@ccu.edu.tw
Psychological Medicine
|November 2, 2006
Summary
Individuals with schizophrenia exhibit impaired memory for specific words and overall meaning (gist memory). This suggests a storage deficit in semantic memory, impacting their ability to recall and recognize information.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Investigates false memory in schizophrenia to understand semantic memory impairment.
- Compares the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm in schizophrenia patients and controls.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine false memory patterns in schizophrenia.
- To find evidence for semantic memory deficits in schizophrenia.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments using the DRM paradigm.
- Assessed recall and recognition of word lists.
- Utilized meaning recognition tests to evaluate gist memory.
Main Results:
- Schizophrenia patients showed poorer recall and recognition of studied words.
- Patients exhibited abnormal semantic activation with higher false memory rates for unrelated words.
- No group differences in false memory for related words, but impaired gist memory in patients.
Conclusions:
- Schizophrenia patients have deficits in both item-specific and gist memory.
- Findings support a storage deficit model of semantic memory in schizophrenia.
Related Concept Videos
False Memories
False memories represent a cognitive distortion in which individuals recall events that did not happen, or remember them in an altered form. This phenomenon highlights the brain's constructive nature in processing and recalling memories, emphasizing that memory is not a perfect representation of past events but rather a dynamic reconstruction influenced by various factors.
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...
Eyewitness Memory
Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...
Interference and Decay
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
Forgetting
Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
Encoding...
Encoding...
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition marked by long-term memory loss, which impairs the ability to recall past events or create new memories.
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...
The severity and duration of memory loss vary depending on the type and underlying cause. Amnesia is classified into two main types: retrograde and anterograde.
Retrograde amnesia is marked by the loss of memories formed before the onset of the condition. Patients may recall distant past events but often forget those occurring shortly before the incident.
Anterograde...

