title: Positive events protect children from causal false memories for scripted events.
abstract: Adults produce fewer inferential false memories for scripted events when their conclusions are emotionally charged than when they are neutral, but it is not clear whether the same effect is also found in children. In the present study, we examined this issue in a sample of 132 children aged 6-12 years (mean 9 years, 3 months). Participants encoded photographs depicting six script-like events that had a positively, negatively, or a neutral valenced ending. Subsequently, true and false recognition memory of photographs related to the observed scripts was tested as a function of emotionality. Causal errors-a type of false memory thought to stem from inferential processes-were found to be affected by valence: children made fewer causal errors for positive than for neutral or negative events. Hypotheses are proposed on why adults were found protected against inferential false memories not only by positive (as for children) but also by negative endings when administered similar versions of the same paradigm.
authors.affiliation: a Cognitive Developmental Research Unit, Department of Psychology , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melinder
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toffalini
authors.affiliation: a Cognitive Developmental Research Unit, Department of Psychology , University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.|b Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geccherle
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cornoldi
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D065840:Protective Factors; D012094:Repression, Psychology
keywords: False memory; causal memory; children; emotions; scripted events