Simulating denial increases false memory rates for abuse unrelated information

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Victims of abuse may deny traumatic experiences.
• Understanding the mnemonic effects of such denials is crucial for memory research and therapeutic interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mnemonic consequences of simulating false denial in the context of a child sexual abuse narrative.
• To examine how false denials influence memory for abuse-related and abuse-unrelated information.

Main Methods:

• 127 participants read a child sexual abuse narrative.
• Half falsely denied abuse information in an interview; the other half responded honestly.
• Memory for narrative and interview details was tested after misinformation exposure.

Main Results:

• Participants who falsely denied information endorsed more abuse-unrelated misinformation.
• No significant difference in abuse-related false memory rates between groups.
• False denials did not correlate with omission errors regarding the interview or narrative.

Conclusions:

• Simulating false denial of child sexual abuse may not alter memory for abuse-related details.
• False denials are associated with increased endorsement of misinformation unrelated to the abuse event.
• This suggests that memory for the core traumatic experience may remain intact despite denial, while peripheral details become more susceptible to distortion.