Creating a false memory
Creating a false memory
Abstract
The experiment was conducted to figure out if the association between old words and critical lures would still happen when the words were presented randomly, or if it is necessary to present words in their lists such as Roediger and McDermott did. The association between old words and critical lures were used as an attempt to create false memories. The results imply that critical lures were responded to as if they were old words more frequently than as if they were new words. This study is consistent with Roediger and McDermotts study from 1995, as both experiments did manage to create false memories.
Methods
Participants
There were 46 University of Essex undergraduates participating in this study. This study was part of a course project in the Psychology module PS114, Research Methods in Psychology.
Apparatus
During the study the participants were using an Apple Macintosh.
Materials
96 words were presented to the participants on a computer screen. These words (stimuli) were taken from Roediger and McDermott’s study in 1995, and were divided into eight different lists of twelve words. Roediger and McDermott, however, had six lists of sixteen words. The words in this study were not presented in lists as in Roediger and McDermotts study, but randomly divided into three groups. The order the words were presented in within these groups were also randomized, and differed from one participant to another.
After being presented the words, the participants answered to a task by rating how confident they were in seeing the word before. There were 96 words in this recognition phase as well.
Design
This experiment had a ‘within-subjects’ design, because all of the participants were experiencing the independent variable. In this experiment there were three levels of independent variables. These were new words, old words and lures. The dependent variable of the experiment was a task where participant were to rate how
Abstract
The experiment was conducted to figure out if the association between old words and critical lures would still happen when the words were presented randomly, or if it is necessary to present words in their lists such as Roediger and McDermott did. The association between old words and critical lures were used as an attempt to create false memories. The results imply that critical lures were responded to as if they were old words more frequently than as if they were new words. This study is consistent with Roediger and McDermotts study from 1995, as both experiments did manage to create false memories.
Methods
Participants
There were 46 University of Essex undergraduates participating in this study. This study was part of a course project in the Psychology module PS114, Research Methods in Psychology.
Apparatus
During the study the participants were using an Apple Macintosh.
Materials
96 words were presented to the participants on a computer screen. These words (stimuli) were taken from Roediger and McDermott’s study in 1995, and were divided into eight different lists of twelve words. Roediger and McDermott, however, had six lists of sixteen words. The words in this study were not presented in lists as in Roediger and McDermotts study, but randomly divided into three groups. The order the words were presented in within these groups were also randomized, and differed from one participant to another.
After being presented the words, the participants answered to a task by rating how confident they were in seeing the word before. There were 96 words in this recognition phase as well.
Design
This experiment had a ‘within-subjects’ design, because all of the participants were experiencing the independent variable. In this experiment there were three levels of independent variables. These were new words, old words and lures. The dependent variable of the experiment was a task where participant were to rate how