Mood-congruent false memories in the DRM paradigm

Abstract

This study investigated the creation of mood-congruent false memories within the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) paradigm using recall and recognition of critical lures as performance measures. Participants (n=93) were randomly assigned to three mood-induction conditions (positive, negative and control) and were presented with positive, negative and neutral DRM word lists in audio form. We predicted that intrusion errors of the critical lures would be higher in the mood-congruent conditions. Results confirmed this prediction and extended previous DRM research by showing that already high false memory rates were increased when the valence of the lures matched the mood-induction condition. Furthermore, participants made more “remember” judgements for the emotion critical lures in their mood-congruent conditions. Discussion draws on spreading activation explanations of DRM findings, and considers how moods could increase activation of non-presented information.

Keywords:

• False memories
• DRM
• Mood congruency
• Spreading activation

Notes

¹ The non-presented words were chosen from unused DRM lists of Roediger, Watson, McDermott, and Gallo (2001). There were no systematic criteria for word selection (other than valence) and no particular relationships among words. These words make good foils as they have been used in the DRM paradigm.