The Mechanisms of False Memory and the Factors Contributing to It

Research Article
Open access

The Mechanisms of False Memory and the Factors Contributing to It

Miaonan Zhang 1*
  • 1 Universidad Europea de Madrid    
  • *corresponding author MiaonanZhang@northshoreu.org
Published on 26 October 2023 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/12/20230834
LNEP Vol.12
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-83558-049-3
ISBN (Online): 978-1-83558-050-9

Abstract

False memories are unavoidable and occur in creatures’ lives all the time, and false memory is not a mistake in the aspect of memory. But instead, the presence of underlying cues, emotional influences, and activation-related information effectively affects the memory’s validity. The study of several pieces of literature found that memory is unreliable under certain conditions. There are also false memories caused by associative activation factors, which are imperfect reconstructions of reality between perception and memory. This article is divided into three main parts to introduce these formation mechanisms of false memory and what factors lead to the formation of false memory. These three parts are the principle of creating false memory in the hippocampus, the effects of associative activation on memory and causal enhancement and attenuation of associative activation, and the transmission of misinformation and the effect of retrieval cues on memory during the retrieval phase.

Keywords:

false memory, cognitive science, memory paradigm

Zhang,M. (2023). The Mechanisms of False Memory and the Factors Contributing to It. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,12,300-305.
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References

[1]. Ramirez, S., Liu, X., Lin, P., Suh, J., Pignatelli, M., Redondo, R. L., Ryan, T. J., Tonegawa, S. (2013). Creating a False Memory in the Hippocampus. Science, 341(6144), 387–391.

[2]. Otgaar, H., Howe, M. L., Muris, P., Merckelbach, H. (2019). Associative Activation as a Mechanism Underlying False Memory Formation. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(2), 191–195.

[3]. Straube, B. (2012). An overview of the neuro-cognitive processes involved in the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of true and false memories. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 8(1), 35.

[4]. Schacter, D. L., Addis, D. R., Buckner, R. L. (2007). Remembering the past to imagine the future: the prospective brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(9), 657–661.

[5]. Gelbard-Sagiv, H., Mukamel, R., Harel, M., Malach, R., Fried, I. (2008). Internally Generated Reactivation of Single Neurons in Human Hippocampus During Free Recall. Science, 322(5898), 96–101.

[6]. Leutgeb, J. K., Leutgeb, S., Moser, M., Moser, E. I. (2007). Pattern Separation in the Dentate Gyrus and CA3 of the Hippocampus. Science, 315(5814), 961–966.

[7]. McTighe, S. M., Cowell, R. A., Winters, B. D., Bussey, T. J., Saksida, L. M. (2010). Paradoxical False Memory for Objects After Brain Damage. Science, 330(6009), 1408–1410.

[8]. Deese, J. (1959). On the prediction of occurrence of particular verbal intrusions in immediate recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58(1), 17–22.

[9]. Roediger, H. L., McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating false memories: Remembering words not presented in lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 21(4), 803–814.

[10]. Gallo, D. A., Roediger, H. L. (2002). Variability among word lists in eliciting memory illusions: evidence for associative activation and monitoring. Journal of Memory and Language, 47(3), 469–497.

[11]. Arndt, J. (2015). The influence of forward and backward associative strength on false memories for encoding context. Memory, 23(7), 1093–1111.

[12]. Otgaar, H., Peters, M. J., Howe, M. L. (2012). Dividing attention lowers children’s but increases adults’ false memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 38(1), 204–210.

[13]. Pérez-Mata, M. N., Read, J. D., Diges, M. (2002). Effects of divided attention and word concreteness on correct recall and false memory reports. Memory, 10(3), 161–177.

[14]. Okado, Y., Stark, C. E. (2005). Neural activity during encoding predicts false memories created by misinformation. Learning Memory, 12(1), 3–11.

[15]. Schacter, D. L., Guerin, S. A., St Jacques, P. L. (2011). Memory distortion: an adaptive perspective. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(10), 467–474.

[16]. Gallo, D. A. (2010). False memories and fantastic beliefs: 15 years of the DRM illusion. Memory & Cognition, 38(7), 833–848.

[17]. Dell, G. S. (1986). A spreading-activation theory of retrieval in sentence production. Psychological Review, 93(3), 283–321.

[18]. Slotnick, S. D., Schacter, D. L. (2004). A sensory signature that distinguishes true from false memories. Nature Neuroscience, 7(6), 664–672.

[19]. Mitchell, K. S., Johnson, M. K. (2009). Source monitoring 15 years later: What have we learned from fMRI about the neural mechanisms of source memory? Psychological Bulletin, 135(4), 638–677.

[20]. Addis, D. R., Schacter, D. L. (2008). Constructive episodic simulation: Temporal distance and detail of past and future events modulate hippocampal engagement. Hippocampus, 18(2), 227–237.

[21]. Giovanello, K. S., Kensinger, E. A., Wong, A. T., Schacter, D. L. (2010). Age-related Neural Changes during Memory Conjunction Errors. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(7), 1348–1361.


Cite this article

Zhang,M. (2023). The Mechanisms of False Memory and the Factors Contributing to It. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,12,300-305.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries

ISBN:978-1-83558-049-3(Print) / 978-1-83558-050-9(Online)
Editor:Javier Cifuentes-Faura, Enrique Mallen
Conference website: https://www.iceipi.org/
Conference date: 7 August 2023
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.12
ISSN:2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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References

[1]. Ramirez, S., Liu, X., Lin, P., Suh, J., Pignatelli, M., Redondo, R. L., Ryan, T. J., Tonegawa, S. (2013). Creating a False Memory in the Hippocampus. Science, 341(6144), 387–391.

[2]. Otgaar, H., Howe, M. L., Muris, P., Merckelbach, H. (2019). Associative Activation as a Mechanism Underlying False Memory Formation. Clinical Psychological Science, 7(2), 191–195.

[3]. Straube, B. (2012). An overview of the neuro-cognitive processes involved in the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of true and false memories. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 8(1), 35.

[4]. Schacter, D. L., Addis, D. R., Buckner, R. L. (2007). Remembering the past to imagine the future: the prospective brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(9), 657–661.

[5]. Gelbard-Sagiv, H., Mukamel, R., Harel, M., Malach, R., Fried, I. (2008). Internally Generated Reactivation of Single Neurons in Human Hippocampus During Free Recall. Science, 322(5898), 96–101.

[6]. Leutgeb, J. K., Leutgeb, S., Moser, M., Moser, E. I. (2007). Pattern Separation in the Dentate Gyrus and CA3 of the Hippocampus. Science, 315(5814), 961–966.

[7]. McTighe, S. M., Cowell, R. A., Winters, B. D., Bussey, T. J., Saksida, L. M. (2010). Paradoxical False Memory for Objects After Brain Damage. Science, 330(6009), 1408–1410.

[8]. Deese, J. (1959). On the prediction of occurrence of particular verbal intrusions in immediate recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58(1), 17–22.

[9]. Roediger, H. L., McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating false memories: Remembering words not presented in lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 21(4), 803–814.

[10]. Gallo, D. A., Roediger, H. L. (2002). Variability among word lists in eliciting memory illusions: evidence for associative activation and monitoring. Journal of Memory and Language, 47(3), 469–497.

[11]. Arndt, J. (2015). The influence of forward and backward associative strength on false memories for encoding context. Memory, 23(7), 1093–1111.

[12]. Otgaar, H., Peters, M. J., Howe, M. L. (2012). Dividing attention lowers children’s but increases adults’ false memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 38(1), 204–210.

[13]. Pérez-Mata, M. N., Read, J. D., Diges, M. (2002). Effects of divided attention and word concreteness on correct recall and false memory reports. Memory, 10(3), 161–177.

[14]. Okado, Y., Stark, C. E. (2005). Neural activity during encoding predicts false memories created by misinformation. Learning Memory, 12(1), 3–11.

[15]. Schacter, D. L., Guerin, S. A., St Jacques, P. L. (2011). Memory distortion: an adaptive perspective. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(10), 467–474.

[16]. Gallo, D. A. (2010). False memories and fantastic beliefs: 15 years of the DRM illusion. Memory & Cognition, 38(7), 833–848.

[17]. Dell, G. S. (1986). A spreading-activation theory of retrieval in sentence production. Psychological Review, 93(3), 283–321.

[18]. Slotnick, S. D., Schacter, D. L. (2004). A sensory signature that distinguishes true from false memories. Nature Neuroscience, 7(6), 664–672.

[19]. Mitchell, K. S., Johnson, M. K. (2009). Source monitoring 15 years later: What have we learned from fMRI about the neural mechanisms of source memory? Psychological Bulletin, 135(4), 638–677.

[20]. Addis, D. R., Schacter, D. L. (2008). Constructive episodic simulation: Temporal distance and detail of past and future events modulate hippocampal engagement. Hippocampus, 18(2), 227–237.

[21]. Giovanello, K. S., Kensinger, E. A., Wong, A. T., Schacter, D. L. (2010). Age-related Neural Changes during Memory Conjunction Errors. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(7), 1348–1361.