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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
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If You're Happy and You Know It: Positive Moods Reduce Age-Related Differences in False Memory.
Weiwei Zhang1, Julien Gross1, Harlene Hayne1
1University of Otago.
Child Development
|June 28, 2017
Summary
Children show fewer false memories than adolescents and adults. Positive moods eliminate this developmental reversal, suggesting mood influences emotional memory development.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Children typically exhibit fewer false memories than adolescents and adults in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm.
- The developmental trajectory of false memory is not fully understood, particularly regarding emotional content and mood influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism behind the developmental reversal in false memory performance.
- To examine the impact of induced mood and word list valence on false memory formation across different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Participants (N=270) aged 7–8, 11–12, and 18–22 years were assigned to negative or positive mood conditions.
- Emotional word lists were presented, and false memory recall was assessed using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm.
Main Results:
- Adolescents and adults showed significantly more false recall of negative information in negative moods compared to children, replicating the developmental reversal effect.
- This developmental reversal in false memory was eliminated when participants were in a positive mood state.
Conclusions:
- Mood state significantly modulates the developmental trajectory of emotional false memories.
- Findings support associative-activation theory and highlight the role of mood in the development of memory distortions.
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