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The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory
Published on: January 31, 2017
Part-list cuing and the dynamics of false recall
Daniel R Kimbal1, Elizabeth L Bjork, Robert A Bjork
1Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA. dkimball@uta.edu
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|May 21, 2008
Summary
False recall can be reduced by presenting early-studied semantic associates as cues. This effect, termed part-list cuing, depends on prohibiting recall of the cues themselves for optimal memory retrieval.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
Background:
- False recall, or recalling non-presented words, occurs with semantic associates.
- Part-list cuing can reduce false recall, but the underlying mechanisms are debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate episodic and semantic contributions to false recall reduction.
- To investigate the impact of cue serial position and associative strength on false recall.
Main Methods:
- Factorial manipulation of cue serial position (early vs. late) and associative strength.
- Comparison of false recall with and without cue recall permitted.
Main Results:
- Early-studied cues significantly reduced false recall when cue recall was prohibited, irrespective of associative strength.
- Late-studied cues did not reliably reduce false recall.
- When cue recall was permitted, neither early nor late cues reduced false recall.
Conclusions:
- Selective episodic strengthening during study links critical words and early-studied words.
- The findings highlight the role of episodic memory in reducing false recall via part-list cuing.
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