A systematic review and a meta-analysis on the relationship between intentional forgetting and false memories

After experiencing an event, the passage of time may lead to forgetting certain details. An important question is whether forgetting contributes to the formation of false memories. We conducted a preregistered systematic review to understand whether a specific type of forgetting (i.e., intentional) might affect false memory formation. We reviewed 27 English publications (from Scopus and Web of Science) to check the robustness of the results, and we conducted a meta-analysis. We found mixed results with 44% (n = 15) of publications showing that forgetting led to an increase in false memory rates, 26% (n = 9) led to a decrease in false memory rates and in 29% (n = 10) no relationship was detected. Concerning the meta-analysis, the results showed that there is no relation between forgetting in general and false memories. Our findings provide useful insights, theoretically and practically relevant, into the interplay between forgetting and false memories.