Department of Education, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.
Leuven Institute of Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Memory. 2021 Sep;29(8):1076-1090. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1960380. Epub 2021 Aug 2.
The present experiment aimed to examine how fabrication can affect memory. In particular, we examined whether different types of fabrication can lead to different mnemonic effects. A sample of 159 participants watched a video of a robbery and subsequently answered some questions about it. Participants were divided into three conditions: one group was instructed to tell the truth (i.e., truth-telling group), while the other two groups were instructed to lie either by partially distorting details (i.e., distortion group) or by completely making up wrong details of the event seen in the video (i.e., fabrication group). Two days later, participants completed a final memory test where they honestly answered recognition and recall questions concerning: (i) memory for the video and (ii) memory for having discussed details during the interview. Results showed that different types of fabrication affect liars' memory differently. Fabricators reported an undermining of memory for the event, whereas those who partially distorted details reported a higher impairment for the interview. Our findings showed that the effects of lying on liars' memory might be determined by the cognitive resources required to lie.
本实验旨在探究编造信息如何影响记忆。具体来说，我们考察了不同类型的编造信息是否会导致不同的记忆效果。159 名参与者观看了一段抢劫视频，随后回答了一些相关问题。参与者被分为三组：一组被要求如实回答（即真实组），另外两组则被要求要么部分歪曲细节（即歪曲组），要么完全编造视频中看到的错误细节（即编造组）。两天后，参与者完成了最终的记忆测试，他们诚实地回答了关于（i）视频记忆和（ii）访谈期间讨论细节记忆的识别和回忆问题。结果表明，不同类型的编造信息会对说谎者的记忆产生不同的影响。编造者报告说，他们对事件的记忆受到了破坏，而那些部分歪曲细节的人则报告说，他们对访谈的记忆受到了更大的损害。我们的研究结果表明，说谎对说谎者记忆的影响可能取决于说谎所需的认知资源。
