False memories in children. Evidence for a shift from phonological to semantic associations.
Memory illusions in children of three age groups (5-, 8-, and 11-year-olds) were investigated using a modified version of the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) procedure. Children from each age group falsely recalled nonpresented items related to the study lists. However, the nature of the intrusions varied across the different groups. The 5-year-olds were more likely to falsely recall words that rhymed with the studied items than to recall unrelated items, whereas the 11-year-olds were more likely to falsely recall words that were semantically related to the list theme than to produce either rhyming or unrelated intrusions. Intrusions made by the 8-year-olds were equally likely to be semantic, rhyming, or unrelated to study items. The results are consistent with the notion of a developmental shift from phonological to semantic associations, leading to qualitatively different memory distortions in children of different ages.
Dewhurst
Stephen A
SA
Lancaster University, Lancaster, England. s.a.dewhurst@lancaster.ac.uk
Robinson
Claire A
CA
D001244:Association; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D012660:Semantics