Abstract
The present study attempted to determine the effect of a levels-of-processing manipulation on the incidence of false recall. In Experiment 1, participants engaged in either a vowel counting task or a concrete/abstract rating task; in Experiment 2, participants engaged in either a vowel counting task or a category sorting task. Results of both experiments demonstrated that participants who engaged in a deeper level of processing (i.e., concrete/abstract ratings or category sorting) recalled significantly more list items and critical lures. The present findings thus lend support to theories that attribute false memories to activation-based factors.
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The authors thank Kathleen McDermott, John Seamon, and Elliot Hirschman for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. The authors also thank Matthew Bram for his assistance with data collection.
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Rhodes, M.G., Anastasi, J.S. The effects of a levels-of-processing manipulation on false recall. Psychon Bull Rev 7, 158–162 (2000). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210735
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210735