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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 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

Caffeine's effects on true and false memory.

Sarah Capek¹, R Kim Guenther

¹Department of Psychology, Hamline University, 1536 Hewitt, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55104, USA.

Psychological Reports

|August 28, 2009

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Caffeine intake improved college students' recall of word lists and false memories in a memory test. This suggests caffeine enhances both accurate recall and susceptibility to memory errors.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Pharmacology

Background:

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm is a standard method for studying associative memory and false memories.
Caffeine is a widely consumed psychoactive stimulant with known effects on cognitive function.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of caffeine on memory recall using the DRM paradigm.
To determine if caffeine influences both true recall and false memory formation.

Main Methods:

College students received either 200 mg of caffeine or a placebo.
Participants were tested on recall of six DRM word lists after 30 minutes.
Recall of presented list words and unpresented "critical lure" words was measured.

Main Results:

Caffeine administration led to significantly higher recall of both list words and critical lures compared to the placebo group.
A negative correlation was observed between the recall of list words and critical lures.
Caffeine enhanced both accurate memory recall and the tendency for false memories.

Conclusions:

Caffeine appears to strengthen the associative connections between related words, including critical lures.
This intensification effect of caffeine contributes to enhanced true memory recall and increased false memory susceptibility.