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Updated: Jun 29, 2025
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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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Reduced false memory in the second language of Turkish-English bilinguals
Merve Sıtkı1, Simay Ikier2, Nilüfer Şener3
1Department of Psychology, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Applied Neuropsychology. Adult
|April 3, 2024
Summary
Bilinguals experience less false memory in their second language (L2) compared to their first language (L1). This suggests that the weaker connections in the L2 lexicon and semantic system reduce susceptibility to false recognition in tasks like the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psycholinguistics
- Bilingualism Research
Background:
- The Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm demonstrates how studying related words can induce false memories for non-studied critical words.
- Previous research on bilinguals and false memory in the DRM paradigm has yielded inconsistent findings regarding first language (L1) versus second language (L2) susceptibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether Turkish-English bilinguals exhibit differential susceptibility to false memory in their L1 (Turkish) versus L2 (English) within the DRM paradigm.
- To test the hypothesis derived from the revised hierarchical model that weaker L2 semantic associations would lead to lower false memory in L2.
Main Methods:
- Turkish-English bilinguals (L1 Turkish) participated in the study.
- Participants completed DRM tasks using both Turkish and English word lists with comparable false recognition norms.
- Recognition tests assessed both false recognition of critical items and correct recognition of studied items.
Main Results:
- False recognition of critical non-studied words was significantly lower in the second language (English) compared to the first language (Turkish).
- Correct recognition of studied words was higher in the second language (English) than in the first language (Turkish).
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that the second language (L2) is more resistant to false memory effects in the DRM paradigm for dissimilar languages.
- This increased resistance is attributed to potentially weaker associations within the L2 lexicon and semantic system compared to L1.
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