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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories
08:53

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Published on: November 14, 2018

Why do doctored images distort memory?

Robert A Nash1, Kimberley A Wade, Rebecca J Brewer

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. R.Nash@warwick.ac.uk

Consciousness and Cognition
|May 30, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Compelling doctored images can distort autobiographical memory by creating false familiarity and enhancing belief in untrue suggestions. Understanding these memory distortions is key to source monitoring.

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Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories
08:53

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories

Published on: November 14, 2018

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
08:06

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory

Published on: August 15, 2010

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory
07:26

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

Published on: January 31, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Studies

Background:

  • Doctored images can lead to false beliefs and memories of nonexistent experiences.
  • The precise mechanisms behind these memory distortions remain unclear.
  • Investigating how external evidence impacts autobiographical memory is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the underlying mechanisms by which doctored images distort autobiographical memory.
  • To understand how compelling false evidence influences memory recall and belief formation.
  • To examine the role of source-monitoring in the 'doctored-evidence effect.'

Main Methods:

  • Participants observed and copied actions, returning later for a memory test.
  • Video clips of actions, including fabricated ones, were presented before the test.
  • The format of video clips was varied to investigate source-monitoring mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Evidence suggests at least two mechanisms contribute to memory distortions.
  • Doctored images induced an illusion of familiarity for false events.
  • The perceived credibility of false suggestions was significantly enhanced by doctored images.

Conclusions:

  • External evidence, particularly doctored images, can profoundly influence autobiographical memory.
  • Source-monitoring processes are implicated in how individuals attribute the origin of memories.
  • Findings provide insight into the malleability of memory and the impact of manipulated evidence.