Stealing and sharing memories: Source monitoring biases following collaborative remembering

Misinformation in social interaction: examining the role of discussion

ABSTRACTMemory is a reconstructive process that is prone to intrusions and distortions. These processes can be amplified by the emergence and propagation of false information in the social environment. While the acceptance of misinformation is well documented in individual memory tasks, the production of false memories in social interaction contexts presents mixed findings. One factor that may contribute to these inconsistencies is the collaboration method used, which may vary in the opportunities they offer for more (free-for-all) or less (turn-taking) discussion. The current study contrasts these two collaboration methods in misinformation acceptance. Participants watched a video, followed by an individual recall task. Then, they completed a questionnaire containing true and misinformation about the video, individually or in pairs (using free-for-all or turn-taking methods). Finally, participants were given a new individual recall task. Results revealed that participants responding to the questionnaire using the free-for-all method were more accurate and accepted less misinformation (vs. turn-taking and individual conditions). Critically, in the second individual recall, these participants also recalled less misinformation from the questionnaire than those in the turn-taking condition. These results suggest that discussion opportunities during social interaction enhance correction and error-pruning and reduce misinformation acceptance.

Interpersonal neural synchronization underlies mnemonic similarity during collaborative remembering

Although collaborative remembering is a ubiquitous feature of human beings, its underlying neurocognitive process is not well understood. Here we hypothesized that interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) might underlie collaborative remembering, while real collaboration as opposed to other modes of offline collaboration should enhance INS and facilitate mnemonic similarity. To test these hypotheses, brain activity was measured simultaneously from two individuals who performed a group-based selective retrieval practice task either in a real collaboration or in a pseudo-collaboration, i.e., an individual performed the task together with a pre-recorded audio. The results showed that the memory of two individuals converged to a greater level than the chance level in real collaboration but not in control condition. Moreover, collaborative remembering was associated with significant INS increase in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) relative to the baseline in the real collaboration only. Additionally, INS increase was significantly greater in the real collaboration than in control condition. Finally, the PFC's INS increase was positively correlated with and could accurately predict the level of mnemonic similarity in real collaboration. These findings support the hypothesis that the enhanced INS underlies the cognitive process of collaborative remembering.

Joint contributions of collaborative facilitation and social contagion to the development of shared memories in social groups

Social interactions can shape our memories. Here, we examined two well-established effects of collaborative remembering on individual memory: collaborative facilitation for initially studied and social contagion with initially unstudied information. Participants were tested in groups of three. After an individual study phase, they completed a first interpolated test either alone or collaboratively with the other group members. Our goal was to explore how prior collaboration affected memory performance on a final critical test, which was taken individually by all participants. Experiments 1a and 1b used additive information as study materials, whereas Experiment 2 introduced contradictory information. All experiments provided evidence of collaborative facilitation and social contagion on the final critical test, which affected individual memory simultaneously. In addition, we also examined memory at the group level on this final critical test, by analyzing the overlap in identical remembered contents across group members. Here, the experiments showed that both collaborative facilitation for studied information and social contagion with unstudied information contributed to the development of shared memories across group members. The presence of contradictory information reduced rates of mnemonic overlap, confirming that changes in individual remembering have repercussions for the development of shared memories at the group level. We discuss what cognitive mechanisms may mediate the effects of social interactions on individual remembering and how they may serve social information transmission and the formation of socially shared memories.

False denials increase false memories for trauma-related discussions

False denials are sometimes used to cope with traumatic experiences. We examined whether false denials can affect true and false memory production for a traumatic event and conversations surrounding the trauma. One hundred and twenty-six participants watched a trauma analogue video of a car crash before being randomly asked in a discussion with the experimenter to (1) respond honestly or (2) falsely deny that certain details happened in the video. After one week, all participants received misinformation about the discussion with the experimenter and the car crash. Finally, all participants were instructed to respond truthfully in a source memory task. Participants who falsely denied information during the first session were statistically significantly more prone than honest participants to omit details they denied and to report misinformation about what was discussed in the first session. Our work suggests that false denials of a traumatic experience might lead to both forgetting and increased false memory levels for earlier conversations about the event.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and confabulation in psycholegal settings: A beginner's guide for criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal interviewers

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are neurodevelopmental/neurobehavioral conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Impairments caused by PAE contribute to the over-representation of individuals with FASD in the United States juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. These same impairments can equally impact on individuals with FASD who are witnesses to or victims of crime who also have to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system. Difficulties include increased susceptibility to confabulation throughout the legal process that, in turn, can contribute to increased rates of poor outcomes including false confessions and wrongful convictions. Individuals with FASD are particularity at risk of confabulation when they are subjected to tactics, such as stressful and anxiety-provoking situations, threats, and leading, suggestive, or coercive questioning. Many professionals in the forensic context are unfamiliar with FASD or related confabulation risk and may unintentionally utilize tactics that intensify impacts of pre-existing impairment. This article serves as a beginner's guide for professionals working in criminal justice settings by (a) providing research-based overviews of FASD and confabulation, (b) describing how FASD may lead to confabulation, and (c) suggesting ways that professionals can modify protocols when interacting with individuals with FASD. Suggestions in this article hold the potential to decrease the risk of confabulation in the criminal justice system and decrease problematic outcomes, such as false confessions and wrongful convictions among individuals with FASD.