Memory distrust and acceptance of misinformation

Abstract

Relying on a community sample (N ¼ 80), the present study examined whether memory distrust is related to an increased tendency to accept misinformation and whether it interacts with passage of time. Participants were shown video footage of an armed robbery. Approximately 30 minutes later, they were asked to describe as accurately as possible what they had seen. Either 1 day or 2 weeks later they were presented with their own statements, to which five misinformation items had been added. The results showed that people suffering from memory distrust accepted more misinformation than those with optimistic beliefs about their memory. In addition, both age and free recall seemed to modulate this relationship. However, memory evaluation did not interact with time interval.

The “memory” misinformation effect may not be caused by memory failures: Exploring memory states of misinformed subjects

“…Further analyses showed that the main reason for this behavior was that participants doubted their own memory. The finding that trusting one's memory may be an important predictor of accepting misinformation was confirmed by van Bergen, Horselenberg, Merckelbach, Jelicic and Beckers (2010).…”

“Yes, I Have Sometimes Stolen Bikes”: Blindness for Norm‐Violating Behaviors and Implications for Suspect Interrogations

“…Judging from participants' private statements towards another confederate, 55% of the participants who were confronted with false evidence actually internalized their confessions, compared with 6% in the group without false witness evidence. The memory corrupting effect of false evidence has also been observed in other studies (e.g., Horselenberg, Merckelbach, & Josephs, ; van Bergen, Jelicic, & Merckelbach, ), and some authors have argued that it is primarily carried by false evidence promoting a state of memory distrust, in which people become more willing to confess to things that they did not do (van Bergen, Horselenberg, Merckelbach, Jelicic, & Beckers, ).…”

A robust preference for cheap-and-easy strategies over reliable strategies when verifying personal memories

“…Future research addressing this prediction would further contribute to our understanding of the links between memory suggestibility and metamemorial beliefs. In fact, whereas people who trust their memories tend to be less susceptible to suggestion, the present data suggest that these same people might also be less likely to systematically test and validate their memories, meaning that the memory errors they do commit may be more likely to endure (e.g., Van Bergen, Horselenberg, Merckelbach, Jelicic, & Beckers, 2010).…”