False Recall in Manipulations of the DRM Paradigm

Abstract

This study was conducted using the DRM paradigm to try to further comprehend false recall positioning. The objective of this study was twofold: to demonstrate that gist, verbatim, and gist + verbatim instructions can alter the positional output of true versus false memories, and to see whether placement of these memories can be affected by other manipulations and their interactions. Results showed that altering the instructions given has a statistically significant effect (at the p <.000 level) in regards to the placement of false memory and true memory,. Significant effects were also witnessed for various other manipulations that confirm the dual process theory. Although the study presented limitations, the results are very useful when applied to criminal investigations and psychotherapy.