A reduction in self-reported confidence accompanies the recall of memories distorted by prototypes

Abstract

When we recall a past event, we reconstruct the event based on a combination of episodic details and semantic knowledge (e.g., prototypes). Though prototypes can impair the veracity of recall, it remains unclear whether we are metacognitively aware of the distortions they introduce. To address this, we conducted six experiments in which participants learned object-colour/object-location pairs and subsequently recalled the colour/location when cued with the object. Leveraging unsupervised machine learning algorithms, we extracted participant-specific prototypes and embedded responses in two-dimensional space to quantify prototype-based distortions in individual memory traces. Our findings reveal robust and conceptually replicable evidence to suggest that prototype-based distortion is accompanied by a reduction in self-reported confidence - an implicit measure of metacognitive awareness. Critically, we find evidence to suggest that it is prototype-based distortion of a memory trace that undermines confidence, rather than a lack of confidence biasing reconstruction towards the use of prototypes. Collectively, these findings suggest that we possess metacognitive awareness of distortions embedded in our memories. When people recall memories, they are less confident in the accuracy of those memories which appear prototypical, suggesting that people are aware of when their memories might be distorted by pre existing knowledge.