You are here

FAU Collections » FAU Research Repository » FAU Theses and Dissertations

Event type and individual differences in children's false-memory creation

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
1998
Summary:
This series of experiments was designed to address two major questions concerning children's false-memory creation: (1) Are events that involve physical harm content more difficult to implant than events that do not involve physical harm content? and (2) Are individuals with particular cognitive and personality attributes more likely to create false-memories than others? In Experiment 1, 27 first-graders were presented with descriptions of two fictitious events (1 physical harm, 1 no physical harm) and two true events (1 physical harm, 1 no physical harm). Furthermore, individual differences in image descriptions, inhibition, verbal intelligence, working memory capacity and teacher ratings of cognitive and personality attributes were assessed. Results indicated that children generated more detailed accounts for fictitious events that did not involve physical harm in comparison to those that did. Furthermore, individual differences in image descriptions, verbal intelligence and teacher ratings of creativity, extroversion and risk taking were found. For Experiment 2, one-half of participants were presented with descriptions of two fictitious and two true events that involved physical harm content. The other one-half of participants were presented with descriptions of two fictitious and 2 true events that did not involve physical harm content. Furthermore, all children were told that two of the events (1 fictitious, 1 true) happened when they were very young and that the other two events (1 fictitious, 1 true) happened during the previous year. Individual differences in picture memory, inhibition and creativity were also assessed. The analyses failed to yield significant differences for event type or age of event occurrence. However, individual differences in creativity were related to children's false reports.
Title: Event type and individual differences in children's false-memory creation.
151 views
51 downloads
Name(s): Brown, Rhonda Douglas
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Bjorklund, David F., Thesis Advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1998
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 196 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: This series of experiments was designed to address two major questions concerning children's false-memory creation: (1) Are events that involve physical harm content more difficult to implant than events that do not involve physical harm content? and (2) Are individuals with particular cognitive and personality attributes more likely to create false-memories than others? In Experiment 1, 27 first-graders were presented with descriptions of two fictitious events (1 physical harm, 1 no physical harm) and two true events (1 physical harm, 1 no physical harm). Furthermore, individual differences in image descriptions, inhibition, verbal intelligence, working memory capacity and teacher ratings of cognitive and personality attributes were assessed. Results indicated that children generated more detailed accounts for fictitious events that did not involve physical harm in comparison to those that did. Furthermore, individual differences in image descriptions, verbal intelligence and teacher ratings of creativity, extroversion and risk taking were found. For Experiment 2, one-half of participants were presented with descriptions of two fictitious and two true events that involved physical harm content. The other one-half of participants were presented with descriptions of two fictitious and 2 true events that did not involve physical harm content. Furthermore, all children were told that two of the events (1 fictitious, 1 true) happened when they were very young and that the other two events (1 fictitious, 1 true) happened during the previous year. Individual differences in picture memory, inhibition and creativity were also assessed. The analyses failed to yield significant differences for event type or age of event occurrence. However, individual differences in creativity were related to children's false reports.
Identifier: 9780599104969 (isbn), 12579 (digitool), FADT12579 (IID), fau:9465 (fedora)
Note(s): Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1998.
Subject(s): False memory syndrome
Memory in children
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12579
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.