Journal of Psychology & Behavioral Science

Investigating the Role of Episodic Gist and False Memory
Kethera Fogler

Abstract
False memories can arise from a sense of familiarity due to having previously encountered similar items; however, some false memories are rich in episodic detail (phantom recollections), which cannot be explained by mere familiarity. The current study hypothesizes that episodic and semantic gist representations combine to form phantom recollections, and that this occurs due to the way information is encoded. Limited research has investigated whether phantom recollections implicate encoding or retrieval processes; however, some research suggests that they are the result of errant binding during retrieval. The role of encoding was investigated by 1) measuring response times at test and 2) examining the effects of sleep consolidation on false memory. Similar response times for true and phantom recollections were found, supporting the role of encoding in both types of memory. Furthermore, a 12 hour delay between study and test that included sleep resulted in performance that was similar to a no delay condition, as compared to a 12 hour delay condition that did not include sleep. These results suggest that sleep consolidation strengthened memory traces that were formed during encoding for both true and phantom recollections.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpbs.v5n2a1