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. 2012 Nov;21(4):289-95.

Youth are more Vulnerable to False Memories than Middle-Aged Adults due to Liberal Response Bias

Liesel-Ann C Meusel  1 , Glenda M Macqueen, Gurpreet Jaswal, Margaret C McKinnon
Affiliations

Youth are more Vulnerable to False Memories than Middle-Aged Adults due to Liberal Response Bias

Liesel-Ann C Meusel et al. J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2012 Nov.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: Numerous studies show changes in vulnerability to false memory formation across development and into senescence. No study, however, has compared false memory formation in the critical transition period spanning late adolescence to middle adulthood.

Method: Using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, we explored the effects of age and of emotion on false memory formation in youth (16 to 23 years of age) and in middle-aged adults (29 to 58 years of age).

Results: We found that youth endorsed more false lure items than middle-aged adults. This increased vulnerability to false memory formation stemmed from a more liberal response bias in the younger group.

Conclusions: Youth have a more liberal response criterion than middle-aged adults that contributes to an increased vulnerability to false memory formation. Subsequent age-related changes in response bias may reflect the maturation of frontal and temporal regions. In youth, a more liberal response bias may contribute to the heightened propensity for poor decision-making seen in this population.

Objectif:: De nombreuses études attestent des changements de vulnérabilité à la formation de faux souvenirs pendant l’enfance et dans la vieillesse. Aucune étude n’a toutefois comparé la formation de faux souvenirs pendant la période critique qui va de la fin de l’adolescence au milieu de l’âge adulte.

Méthodologie:: Le paradigme Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) a servi à étudier les effets de l’âge et de l’émotion sur la formation de faux souvenirs chez des adolescents (entre 16 et 23 ans) et chez les adultes d’âge moyen (entre 29 et 58 ans).

Résultats:: Les adolescents ont accepté davantage de faux leurres que les adultes. Cette vulnérabilité accrue à la formation de faux souvenirs provient d’un biais de réponse moins précis de la part des adolescents.

Conclusion:: Les adolescents ont des critères de réponses moins précis que les adultes, ce qui augmente le risque de fabrication de faux souvenirs. L’évolution du biais de réponse avec l’âge pourrait refléter la maturation des régions frontale et temporale du cerveau. Le biais de réponse explique la propension des adolescents à prendre de mauvaises décisions.

Keywords: DRM; development; false memory; youth.

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