Memory distrust syndrome, confabulation and false confession.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• False confessions are categorized into voluntary, pressured-compliant, and pressured-internalized types.
• Memory distrust syndrome (MDS) involves profound distrust in one's memory, leading to reliance on external cues.
• MDS can contribute to pressured-internalized false confessions, a phenomenon known as confabulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence supporting the existence of memory distrust syndrome.
• To explore the psychological mechanisms and processes underlying MDS.
• To present a heuristic model of a false confession linked to MDS.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on memory distrust syndrome.
• Case study analysis of a 32-year-old man who falsely confessed to murder.
• Development of a heuristic model incorporating risk factors and vulnerability.

Main Results:

• Memory distrust syndrome (MDS) can lead to false confessions, especially the pressured-internalized type (confabulation).
• Contextual risk factors (isolation, intense interrogation) interact with enduring vulnerability and acute state factors.
• A detailed diary provided insight into the gradual development of MDS in a detainee.

Conclusions:

• False confessions, though rare, can occur in intellectually capable individuals.
• Memory distrust syndrome plays a role in delayed suggestibility and confabulation.
• Understanding MDS and its contributing factors is crucial for accurate legal and psychological assessments.