Loftus & Pickrell (1995)


• 1. Aim:

  • To determine if false autobiographical memories can be created through suggestion
• 1. Participants:

  • 3 males and 21 females
• Procedure:

  • Parent/sibling provided three real childhood memories
  • Participants received questionnaire with four memories (three real, one false)
  • Two interviews over four weeks
  • Confidence ratings for memories
  • Debriefing and guessing the false memory
• Results:

  • About 25% of participants "recalled" the false memory
  • False memories rated less confidently
  • Less written about false memories in questionnaires
• Strengths:

  1. Ecological validity: Used real childhood memories
  2. Verifiability: Real memories confirmed by family members
  3. Practical applications: Relevant to eyewitness testimony and therapy
  4. Ethical considerations: Participants were debriefed
• Limitations:

  1. Limited false memory creation: Only 25% of participants developed false memories
  2. Potential memory distortion: Difficult to distinguish between false and distorted memories
  3. Contamination risk: Questionnaires completed at home
  4. Demand characteristics: Possible social desirability effect
  5. Ethical concerns: Use of deception
  6. Sample bias: Small sample size, gender imbalance