False memories produced by tentatively organized categorical representations: The Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm using lists of ad hoc category exemplars

Abstract

The study presented here investigated whether tentatively organized categorical representations resulting from learning ad hoc category lists produced false memories as well as whether learning a list with themes (category labels) increased the prevalence of false memories. A sample of university students (N = 48) participated in an experiment using the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm, which presented them with word lists consisting of atypical exemplars of ad hoc categories designed to obscure the themes. The participants studied the lists with or without category labels, and then engaged in a recognition test. The lure items for each recognition list were category exemplars that the participants did not learn. The results indicated that false recognition occurred as a result of learning ad hoc category lists and increased when learning a list with category labels. In addition, participants who noticed a theme reported false recognition more frequently than those who did not, even in the condition where labels were not presented. These findings suggest that noticing themes promotes false recognition regardless of the presence of category labels.