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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

Discovery misattribution: when solving is confused with remembering.

Sonya Dougal¹, Jonathan W Schooler

¹Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. sonya.dougal@nyu.edu

Journal of Experimental Psychology. General

|November 15, 2007

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Solving insight problems, like anagrams, can lead to memory errors, making people mistakenly believe they recognize previously encountered information. This study reveals how problem-solving experiences can distort recognition memory.

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Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

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Published on: February 19, 2018

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Memory Studies
Problem-Solving Research

Background:

The discovery misattribution hypothesis suggests that the feeling of solving an insight problem can be misattributed as recognition.
Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for comprehending the complexities of human memory and cognitive processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the discovery misattribution hypothesis.
To determine if and how solving insight problems influences recognition memory.
To explore the conditions under which this effect occurs and its temporal dynamics.

Main Methods:

The study employed a series of six experiments using anagrams as insight problems.
Participants completed recognition tests after solving or not solving anagrams.
Variations included comparing solved anagrams to studied words, presented words, and unrelated items, with and without delays.

Main Results:

Solutions to solved anagrams were more frequently judged as 'old' in recognition tests compared to unsolved anagrams.
Anagram solving increased 'old' judgments even when compared to explicitly studied words.
The effect was reduced by introducing a delay between solving and recognition, and it created an illusion of recollection.

Conclusions:

The experience of solving an insight problem, such as an anagram, can indeed lead to misattribution errors in recognition memory.
This suggests that the cognitive processes involved in insight problem-solving can create a false sense of familiarity or recollection.
The findings highlight the reconstructive nature of memory and the potential for cognitive events to influence subsequent memory judgments.