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Karanian JM, Thomas AK, Race E. Warning before misinformation exposure modulates memory encoding. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 24:440-452. [PMID: 38504050 PMCID: PMC11078839 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01183-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to misleading information after witnessing an event can impair future memory reports about the event. This pervasive form of memory distortion, termed the misinformation effect, can be significantly reduced if individuals are warned about the reliability of post-event information before exposure to misleading information. The present fMRI study investigated whether such prewarnings improve subsequent memory accuracy by influencing encoding-related neural activity during exposure to misinformation. We employed a repeated retrieval misinformation paradigm in which participants watched a crime video (Witnessed Event), completed an initial test of memory, listened to a post-event auditory narrative that contained consistent, neutral, and misleading details (Post-Event Information), and then completed a final test of memory. At the behavioral level, participants who were given a prewarning before the Post-Event Information were less susceptible to misinformation on the final memory test compared with participants who were not given a warning (Karanian et al., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117, 22771-22779, 2020). This protection from misinformation was accompanied by greater activity in frontal regions associated with source encoding (lateral PFC) and conflict detection (ACC) during misleading trials as well as a more global reduction in activity in auditory cortex and semantic processing regions (left inferior frontal gyrus) across all trials (consistent, neutral, misleading) of the Post-Event Information narrative. Importantly, the strength of these warning-related activity modulations was associated with better protection from misinformation on the final memory test (improved memory accuracy on misleading trials). Together, these results suggest that warnings modulate encoding-related neural activity during exposure to misinformation to improve memory accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Karanian
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT, 06824, USA.
| | - Ayanna K Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 419 Boston Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Elizabeth Race
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, 419 Boston Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
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Shao X, Li A, Wang Z, Xue G, Zhu B. False recall is associated with larger caudate in males but not in females. Memory 2024:1-8. [PMID: 38416016 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2024.2319314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
After learning semantically related words, some people are more likely than others to incorrectly recall unstudied but semantically related lures (i.e., Deese-Roediger-McDermott [DRM] false recall). Previous studies have suggested that neural activity in subcortical regions (e.g., the caudate) is involved in false memory, and that there may be sex differences in the neural basis of false memory. However, sex-specific associations between subcortical volumes and false memory are not well understood. This study investigated whether sex modulates the associations between subcortical volumes and DRM false recall in 400 healthy college students. Volumes of subcortical regions including the caudate, accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, pallidum, putamen and thalamus were obtained from structural magnetic resonance images and measured using FreeSurfer. The results showed that males had lower true and false recall but larger subcortical volumes than females. Interestingly, higher false recall was associated with a larger caudate in males, but not in females. This association was significant after controlling for age and intracranial volume. This study provides new evidence on the neural basis of false recall. It suggests that the caudate plays a role in false recall in young men, and that future studies of the neural correlates of false memory should consider sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuhao Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment for Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Ao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zehua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Gui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Bi Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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Ratzan A, Siegel M, Karanian JM, Thomas AK, Race E. Intrinsic functional connectivity in medial temporal lobe networks is associated with susceptibility to misinformation. Memory 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38166560 PMCID: PMC11219530 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2298921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Memory is notoriously fallible and susceptible to misinformation. Yet little is known about the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms that render individuals vulnerable to this type of false memory. The current experiments take an individual differences approach to examine whether susceptibility to misinformation reflects stable underlying factors related to memory retrieval. In Study 1, we report for the first time the existence of substantial individual variability in susceptibility to misinformation in the context of repeated memory retrieval, when the misinformation effect is most pronounced. This variability was not related to an individual's tendency to adopt an episodic retrieval style during remembering (trait mnemonics). In Study 2, we next examined whether susceptibility to misinformation is related to intrinsic functional connectivity in medial temporal lobe (MTL) networks known to coordinate memory reactivation during event retrieval. Stronger resting-state functional connectivity between the MTL and cortical areas associated with visual memory reactivation (occipital cortex) was associated with better protection from misinformation. Together, these results reveal that while memory distortion is a universal property of our reconstructive memory system, susceptibility to misinformation varies at the individual level and may depend on one's ability to reactivate visual details during memory retrieval.
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Lentoor AG. Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying false memories: misinformation, distortion or erroneous configuration? AIMS Neurosci 2023; 10:255-268. [PMID: 37841346 PMCID: PMC10567586 DOI: 10.3934/neuroscience.2023020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Errors can affect our memory, yet even when there are gaps in our recollection of events, memory often serves us fairly well. Memory formation involves at least three different sub-processes, that are regulated by an underlying neural structure. From a cognitive neuropsychological perspective, a complex process of encoding, consolidating, and retrieval is involved in remembering an event, and it might be hindered by one's emotional state, physiological response to the event itself, and misinformation. As a result, it is very likely that one may struggle to remember specifics of what happened which can increase our susceptibility to the formation of false memories. This has major implications for everyday functioning, as in the case when you mistakenly remember you took your pills when you never did, or where errors have led to false accusations about trauma or abuse, and wrongful convictions of crimes. Memories sometimes contain biases and inaccuracies that prevent them from accurately recalling events. The review will provide an updated overview of current research advances on the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying inaccurate, distorted, or false memories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio G. Lentoor
- Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, South Africa
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