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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Memory for child sexual abuse information: simulated memory error and individual differences.

Kelly McWilliams¹, Gail S Goodman, Kristen E Lyons

¹Department of Psychology, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.

Memory & Cognition

|July 10, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Recalling childhood sexual abuse narratives truthfully improves memory. Lying or omitting details, or not recalling them, impairs memory recall, with lying being less detrimental than no recall.

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Published on: November 14, 2018

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Trauma Studies
Memory Research

Background:

Previous research explored simulated amnesia.
The study builds upon prior work on memory and trauma.
A new paradigm is introduced for studying childhood sexual abuse memory.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of different recall strategies on memory for childhood sexual abuse.
To examine factors influencing memory performance in trauma survivors.
To develop a novel methodology for the scientific study of abuse memory.

Main Methods:

Participants read a narrative of childhood sexual assault.
Four groups were formed: truthful rehearsal, omission, commission (lying), and no rehearsal.
Memory recall was assessed one week after initial encoding and manipulation.

Main Results:

Untruthful recall and no rehearsal significantly impaired memory compared to truthful recall.
Untruthful recall led to better memory performance than no rehearsal.
Gender, PTSD symptoms, depression, adult attachment, and prior abuse history predicted memory outcomes.

Conclusions:

Memory for childhood sexual abuse is sensitive to post-event information and recall strategies.
Simulated amnesia techniques can impact memory accuracy and recall.
Individual psychological factors play a significant role in memory for traumatic events.