Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Using a Classroom-Based Deese Roediger McDermott Paradigm to Assess the Effects of Imagery on False Memories
Published on: November 14, 2018
Magical thinking and memory: distinctiveness effect for tv commercials with magical content
Eugene Subbotsky1, Jayne Mathews
1Psychology Department, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YF, UK. e.subbotsky@lancaster.ac.uk
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to examine whether memorizing advertised products of television advertisements with magical effects (i.e., talking animals, inanimate objects which turn into humans, objects that appear from thin air or instantly turn into other objects) is easier than memorizing products of advertisements without such effects, by testing immediate and delayed retention. Adolescents and adults viewed two films containing television advertisements and were asked to recall and recognize the films' characters, events, and advertised products. Film 1 included magical effects, but Film 2 did not. On a free-recall test, no differences in the number of items recalled were noted for the two films. On the immediate recognition test, adolescents, but not adults, showed significantly better recognition for the magical than the nonmagical film. When this test was repeated two weeks later, results were reversed: adults, but not adolescents, recognized a significantly larger number of items from the magical film than the nonmagical one. These results are interpreted to accentuate the role of magical thinking in cognitive processes.
Related Concept Videos
Magical Thinking
False Memories
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...
Impact of Schemas
Serial Position Effect
Stereotype Content Model
Mnemonic Devices
Acronyms
Acronyms are created by using the initial letters of a series of words to form a new word or phrase. This approach condenses complex information into a single, memorable entity. For example,...

