Susceptibility to false memories : a study of the effects of framing and intensity.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of perceptual versus emotional framing, as well as the effects of the intensity of arousal, on false memory susceptibility at the encoding level. 120 undergraduates (aged 18 to 26) read either perceptually-framed or emotionally-framed paragraphs, which were written based on Deese-Roediger McDermott (DRM) word lists from Palmer and Dodson’s (2009) study. These paragraphs were further categorized based on intensity of arousal; whether high or low. False memory rates were determined through a word recognition task. Results showed a significantly higher rate of false memory for emotional compared to perceptual paragraphs. However, no difference in false memory rates was found between the two levels of intensity.