Investigating False Memory in the DRM Paradigm with Relational Category Content

Fuzzy Trace Theory and the Activation Monitoring Framework disagree on whether gist or backwards associative strength best describes false memories in DRM. Recent evidence suggests situational features best describe processes underlying DRM results. Thematic, goal-derived, and relational categories capture different aspects of situational features, but perform differently in memory and coherence. We constructed novel category-specific lists for use in the DRM paradigm to determine whether different aspects of situational features make different contributions to a successful DRM result, whether relational and goal-derived content can produce false recognition despite low gist and backwards associative strength, and whether DRM captures an aspect of category coherence that has been difficult to measure in relational and goal-derived content. Only relational and thematic content produced sufficient false recognition. This provides mixed support for situational features, evidence that relational content makes specific contributions to DRM success, and evidence of coherence in relational categories.