2020 Volume 17 Issue 2 Pages 79-89
This study examines the effects of intention to memorize list items on false memory when lists are repeatedly presented in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm. Participants were presented with item pairs, extracted from two different lists, of which they were asked to memorize one item (intentional learning condition) while ignoring the other item (incidental learning condition). The item pairs were presented either once, five times, or ten times. The results for the intentional learning condition showed that the rates for correct recognitions increased and the rates for false recognitions decreased as a function of presentation repetitions. In contrast, in the incidental learning condition, the rates of false recognitions did not change as presentation repetitions increased, although the rate for correct recognitions increased monotonically. These findings suggest that intention to memorize moderates the relationship between list repetitions and false recognitions and that the pattern of false recognitions may vary according to whether the participants are aware of the critical lure items.
