DRM Paradigm: Evidence that Alzheimer’s Patients Think of the Critical Lure as Often as Healthy Older Participants

ABSTRACT

Background

Up to now, in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, the lower production of false memories in Alzheimer’s disease has been explained in terms of non-activation of the critical lure.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to examine the critical lure activation process from items of DRM lists in Alzheimer’s patients, using a free association task.

Method

Twenty-six young adults, 25 older adults, and 17 Alzheimer’s patients performed a free association task with DRM words.

Results

Analyses indicated that Alzheimer’s patients produced as many critical lures in the free association task as healthy older participants, but significantly fewer than younger participants.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that the low production of critical lures in DRM tasks usually reported in Alzheimer’s patients might not be due to a semantic deficit that prevents the activation of the critical lure.

Acknowledgments

We thank M. Bouguereau, S. Gréau, C. Housset, M.-S. Lecoq, O. Morand, L. Riochet, and M. Tougeron for their assistance in participant recruitment and data collection.