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Updated: May 24, 2026
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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
Memory conformity affects inaccurate memories more than accurate memories
Daniel B Wright1, Daniella K Villalba
1Psychology Department, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA. dwright@fiu.edu
Memory (Hove, England)
|February 28, 2012
Summary
Inaccurate memories are more susceptible to distortion than accurate ones, especially when initial confidence is low. This highlights how memory malleability varies based on accuracy and confidence levels.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
Background:
- Memory distortion is a known phenomenon.
- Initial confidence influences memory recall.
- The interplay between memory accuracy, confidence, and malleability requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how initial memory confidence affects memory distortion.
- To determine if memory accuracy moderates the effect of confidence on distortion.
- To explore the susceptibility of different memory types to distortion.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with participants viewing stimuli and then being tested on them.
- Participants reported confidence in their memory recall.
- Exposure to bogus feedback systematically influenced subsequent memory confidence ratings.
Main Results:
- Inaccurate memories were more easily distorted than accurate memories, even after controlling for initial confidence.
- Memory distortion was greater for uncertain memories compared to confident ones.
- The findings support a dual-memory model differentiating between recollective and non-recollective memory susceptibility.
Conclusions:
- Initial memory confidence and accuracy significantly impact memory malleability.
- Inaccurate memories are more prone to distortion, particularly when confidence is low.
- A model distinguishing between recollective and non-recollective memory types may explain differential susceptibility to distortion.
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