A focus on accuracy in misinformed mothers puts young children at risk for false memories

This research examined how mothers' goal orientation and exposure to misinformation can shape how mothers engage their children in conversation about past experiences and consequently affect the accuracy of children's memory reports. To investigate this question, 169 mothers were asked to talk with their preschool-age children (M_age = 55 months, SD = 6.15; 90 female) about an earlier nonshared event. Some mothers were instructed to focus on eliciting an accurate account, whereas others were told to talk naturally as in everyday life. Before this conversation, some mothers in each goal condition were exposed to misleading information about what their children experienced. Mothers focused on accuracy exhibited more bias in their conversations than those centered on talking naturally. When later interviewed, children with accuracy-focused mothers made more false reports and recalled less correct details than those with natural-focused mothers. These trends were found even when mothers were not misinformed. The implications of these results for children's eyewitness memory and suggestibility are discussed.