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lying and DRM type false memories (DRM Videos)
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Description: In certain situations, we might falsely deny that an event happened. These ‘false denials’ can lead to forgetting of what was lied about, and recently, research has suggested that false denials might also impact false memory formation. In the current experiment, I employed an associative video false memory paradigm to examine the effect of false denials on forgetting and spontaneous false memory production using a within subjects design. Participants engaged in two phases. At the beginning of each phase they viewed an associatively related video (negative or neutral first). After encoding, they were instructed to be honest or falsely deny regarding the video (participants who falsely denied in the first phase were honest in the second phase and vice versa). During a final source memory test in each phase participants forgot more details they had discussed with the experimenter for the denial interview compared to the honest interview. We did not find an effect of false denials on false memory production. Furthermore, we found that participants remembered more details but also made more memory mistakes for the neutral video compared to the negative video. The current results suggest false denials induced forgetting, but did not increase commission errors (i.e., false memories). Keywords: Denial-induced forgetting, False memory, Forgetting, Associative Video Paradigm, Emotional Memory