Factors that influence the generation of autobiographical memory conjunction errors

Abstract

The constructive nature of memory is generally adaptive, allowing us to efficiently store, process and learn from life events, and simulate future scenarios to prepare ourselves for what may come. However, the cost of a flexibly constructive memory system is the occasional conjunction error, whereby the components of an event are authentic, but the combination of those components is false. Using a novel recombination paradigm, it was demonstrated that details from one autobiographical memory (AM) may be incorrectly incorporated into another, forming AM conjunction errors that elude typical reality monitoring checks. The factors that contribute to the creation of these conjunction errors were examined across two experiments. Conjunction errors were more likely to occur when the corresponding details were partially rather than fully recombined, likely due to increased plausibility and ease of simulation of partially recombined scenarios. Brief periods of imagination increased conjunction error rates, in line with the imagination inflation effect. Subjective ratings suggest that this inflation is due to similarity of phenomenological experience between conjunction and authentic memories, consistent with a source monitoring perspective. Moreover, objective scoring of memory content indicates that increased perceptual detail may be particularly important for the formation of AM conjunction errors.

Keywords:

• Autobiographical memory
• False memory
• Memory conjunction error
• Imagination
• Phenomenology

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Rachael Sumner for her assistance in scoring memory transcripts.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ In the original paper, it was reported that 15.3% of a total of 190 lures were accepted. Given there were 19 participants, this equates to an average of 1.5 conjunction errors per person.

² In the original paper, it was reported that 13.2% of a total of 491 lures were accepted. Given there were 11 participants, this equates to an average of 5.9 conjunction errors per person.

³ Participants also completed a size judgement task and an odd/even decision task during this session; because these tasks are not relevant to the current experiment, they will not be included in the following analyses.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship [grant number RDF-10-UOA-024] awarded to DRA, and a National Institute on Aging [grant number R01 AG08441] awarded to DLS. ALD was supported by The University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.