| |
Abstract:
Abstract: To investigate the basis of false memory for
semantic associates, lists of semantically unrelated items were
presented for study, each followed by a recognition test consisting
of 3 types of test items: (a) studied items, (b) related lures that
were not presented at study but were each semantically related to
one of the studied items (i.e., they were paired associates of
studied items), and (c) unrelated lures that were not presented at
study and were unrelated to any of the studied items. Subjects
falsely recognized more related lures than unrelated lures both
when the stimuli were words and pictures (Experiment 1). Subjects
also falsely recognized more related lures than unrelated lures
when the paired associates differed in physical format (words
versus pictures, Experiment 2). Consistent with the implicit
activation-fluency misattribution hypothesis, these findings
suggest that encoding an item at study involves unconscious,
automatic activation of its semantic associates, resulting in their
increased conceptual fluency and familiarity which is misattributed
at test to their actual appearance in the study list. The effects
of increased conceptual fluency on affective judgments will also be
discussed.
|
