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Protecting memory from misinformation: Warnings modulate cortical reinstatement during memory retrieval
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Description: Exposure to even subtle forms of misleading information can significantly alter memory for a past event. Memory distortion due to misinformation has been linked to faulty reconstructive processes at the time of memory retrieval and the reactivation of brain regions involved in the initial encoding of misleading details (cortical reinstatement). The current study investigated whether warning participants about the threat of misinformation can bias the reinstatement of content-specific cortical activity during memory retrieval and reduce misinformation errors. In Experiment 1, participants viewed a silent video depicting a crime (original event) and were given an initial test of memory for the crime details. Next, participants listened to an auditory narrative describing the crime (post-event information) in which some of the original details had been altered (misinformation). Importantly, some participants received a simple warning that the reliability of the post-event information could not be verified while others did not receive a warning. On a final test of memory, all participants demonstrated a classic misinformation effect whereby memory was impaired for original crime details that had been described inaccurately in the post-event narrative. However, the misinformation effect was reduced in participants who received a warning either before exposure to misinformation (pre-warning) or after exposure to misinformation (post-warning). In Experiment 2, this behavioral effect of warning was replicated in the context of fMRI. Importantly, striking differences in neural activity were observed between the warning and no-warning groups during the final memory test. Compared to participants who did not receive a warning, participants who received a warning (regardless of its timing) demonstrated increased activity in brain regions associated with the original source of information (visual cortex) as well as decreased activity in brain regions associated with the misleading source of information (auditory cortex). The strength of this sensory-specific cortical activity during memory decisions also predicted behavioral performance: stronger reactivation of visual cortex was associated with better memory accuracy and protection from misinformation, whereas stronger reactivation of auditory cortex was associated with reduced memory accuracy and susceptibility to misinformation. Together, these results reveal a simple warning can significantly impact reconstructive processes during memory retrieval and reduce susceptibility to misinformation.