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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 11, 2026

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott DRM Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

The Deese-Roediger-McDermott DRM Task: A Simple Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate False Memories in the Laboratory

Published on: January 31, 2017

Trained but still tricked: source sensitisation training fails to reduce false memory reports.

Charlotte A Bücken^1,2, Paul Riesthuis^1,2, Giorgia Caon^1,3

¹Leuven Institute of Criminology, Faculty of Law and Criminology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Memory (Hove, England)

|November 16, 2025

Summary

A sensitisation memory training did not reduce false autobiographical memories in eyewitnesses. Instead, the training unexpectedly increased false beliefs and memories, suggesting these are resistant to correction.

Keywords:

Blind implantation false autobiographical memory false memory implantation false memory reversal source sensitization memory training

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Legal Psychology

Background:

False autobiographical memories can significantly impact legal proceedings, particularly eyewitness testimony.
The reliability of memory in legal contexts is crucial for case outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the efficacy of a sensitisation memory training (SMT) in reducing false autobiographical memory reports.
To determine if SMT can correct false memories elicited through a blind implantation method.

Main Methods:

A blind implantation procedure was used with 294 participants to implant a false childhood memory.
Participants rated their memory and belief for suggested events.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive SMT or a distractor task before a follow-up memory assessment.

Main Results:

Initially, 18.4% of participants reported a false belief or memory.
Following the intervention, false beliefs increased to 20.4% in the SMT group and 22.3% in the control group.
False memories also increased to 5.1% in the SMT group compared to 2.9% in the control group.

Conclusions:

The sensitisation memory training was ineffective in reducing false autobiographical memory reports.
False memories induced by the blind implantation paradigm appear highly resistant to correction.
Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying the resistance of false memories to intervention.