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Updated: May 4, 2026
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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
Published on: August 26, 2011
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People consider reliability and cost when verifying their autobiographical memories
Kimberley A Wade1, Robert A Nash2, Maryanne Garry3
1Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
Acta Psychologica
|December 28, 2013
Summary
People often use cost over reliability when choosing memory verification strategies. This preference for "cheap" information may explain real-world memory errors.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Studies
Background:
- Human memory is prone to inaccuracies.
- Existing research identifies memory verification strategies but not the reasons for their selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether beliefs about strategy reliability and cost influence the selection of memory verification strategies.
- To determine the relative importance of reliability and cost in strategy choice.
Main Methods:
- Participants recalled a childhood memory.
- They proposed strategies to verify the memory's accuracy.
- Each strategy was rated for reliability, cost, and likelihood of use.
Main Results:
- Both reliability and cost independently predicted strategy selection.
- A combination of reliability and cost offered stronger predictive power.
- Cost was a more significant factor than reliability in strategy choice.
Conclusions:
- Beliefs about the cost and reliability of memory verification strategies significantly impact selection.
- The tendency to prioritize less costly information over more reliable information may contribute to memory inaccuracies.
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