Effects of Presentation Format and List Length on Children's False Memories

Abstract

The effect of list length on children's false memories was investigated using list and story versions of the Deese/Roediger-McDermott procedure. Short (7 items) and long (14 items) sequences of semantic associates were presented to children aged 6, 8, and 10 years old either in lists or embedded within a story that emphasized the list theme. Subsequent tests of recognition memory revealed different effects of length for lists and stories across development. Longer lists produced more false alarms to critical lures for 8- and 10-year-olds only, and longer stories produced more false alarms to critical lures for 6-year-olds only. These results demonstrate that increasing the number of items presented at study increases false recognition for younger as well as older children when the theme of the items is made salient.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was conducted as part of the first author's doctorate, under the supervision of the second author, and was funded by a studentship awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council of Great Britain. We thank the council for its support. We also thank the staff and pupils of Hambleton Primary, Poulton-le-Fylde, and Kirkland & Catterall St. Helen's C. E. Primary, Garstang, for their participation in the research.

Notes

Note. Standard errors are given in parentheses.