Lost in the Mall? Interrogating Judgements of False Memory

Abstract

Loftus and Pickrell's (1995) famous ‘Lost in the Mall’ false memory implantation experiment was recently replicated in Ireland. In this new study standard investigator judgements indicated many more false memories than did participants themselves, consistent with similar studies. We reanalysed the transcripts with investigator-judged false memories, focusing on recall of six suggested core details. On average, fewer than two details in the fake event were explicitly recalled; 20% with full and 58% with partial false memories did not recall being lost. Participants' own self-reported recall was associated with remembering more details. Half the participants described potentially true experiences, distinguishable from the fake event; this group recalled more suggested details but tended to remember them differently. The data suggested investigator ratings reflect individual comments made when participants are considering whether they remember different elements of the fake event but may not capture the way these comments are integrated in participants' own recall decisions.