A series of 5 experiments investigated whether false memory in associated word lists present with serial position effects (SPE) and how any such effects behave in response to manipulations of true recall SPE. Recall for a series of events is typified by SPE such that items nearer the beginning, primacy effect, and end, recency effect, of a series are remembered better than middle items. Recall is also typified by the intrusion of falsely remembered information. Word-lists segmented into trimesters of either semantically (e.g., hot, snow, warm.../ bed, rest, awake.../ looking, lens, shatter...) or phonologically (e.g., code, called, fold.../ sweep, sleet, steep.../ class, grass, glad...) associated words produced false recall (e.g., cold, sleep, glass), allowing for the simultaneous investigation of SPE for true and false recall. Typical SPE for true recall were observed for each of the five Experiments. For immediate free recall, semantic false recall declined from early to late study trimesters whereas phonological false recall displayed a false primacy and recency effect similar to true recall SPE. Phonological false recall was significantly reduced when a 15 second distractor task was implemented during the retention interval. Dividing attention during study using a concurrent handwriting task reduced true recall whereas semantic false recall increased at primacy and phonological false recall increased at recency. This suggests distinct processes underlying the two forms of false recall. Dividing attention using an articulatory suppression task produced less true recall and less false recall than using concurrent handwriting. This research indicates that false recall SPE exist and that the semantic and phonological forms of false recall SPE are distinct. Current theories of false memory and of true recall SPE are considered.

A series of 5 experiments investigated whether false memory in associated word lists present with serial position effects (SPE) and how any such effects behave in response to manipulations of true recall SPE. Recall for a series of events is typified by SPE such that items nearer the beginning, primacy effect, and end, recency effect, of a series are remembered better than middle items. Recall is also typified by the intrusion of falsely remembered information. Word-lists segmented into trimesters of either semantically (e.g., hot, snow, warm.../ bed, rest, awake.../ looking, lens, shatter...) or phonologically (e.g., code, called, fold.../ sweep, sleet, steep.../ class, grass, glad...) associated words produced false recall (e.g., cold, sleep, glass), allowing for the simultaneous investigation of SPE for true and false recall. Typical SPE for true recall were observed for each of the five Experiments. For immediate free recall, semantic false recall declined from early to late study trimesters whereas phonological false recall displayed a false primacy and recency effect similar to true recall SPE. Phonological false recall was significantly reduced when a 15 second distractor task was implemented during the retention interval. Dividing attention during study using a concurrent handwriting task reduced true recall whereas semantic false recall increased at primacy and phonological false recall increased at recency. This suggests distinct processes underlying the two forms of false recall. Dividing attention using an articulatory suppression task produced less true recall and less false recall than using concurrent handwriting. This research indicates that false recall SPE exist and that the semantic and phonological forms of false recall SPE are distinct. Current theories of false memory and of true recall SPE are considered.

As falsas memórias são um tipo falha de memória, em que o indivíduo pode (a) reconhecer como tendo visto antes um objeto ou evento que não tenha ocorrido ou (b) não reconhecer algo previamente presenciado. Estes são o falso reconhecimento e a rejeição errada. Segundo a teoria do rastro difuso, dois processos distintos agem em paralelo durante a memorização e reconhecimento, um sobre as informações literais (verbatim) e o outro sobre a essência do significado da palavra (gist). Neste trabalho é proposto um sistema modular de redes neurais artificiais que considera estes dois processos, características funcionais das estruturas cerebrais envolvidas na memorização e fluxo de informação análogo ao ocorrido no cérebro. O modelo neural é validado através de treinamento para armazenar e recuperar listas de palavras semanticamente relacionadas. Na formulação do modelo e da representação foram considerados a representação fonológica e significado das palavras, de forma a simular as computações ocorridas e os resultados obtidos em experimentos efetuados com sujeitos humanos. Nestes experimentos, 12 listas de aproximadamente 15 palavras, cada lista semanticamente relacionadas a um tema são ouvidas e, em seguida, algumas destas palavras, a palavra tema e outras palavras não relacionadas são também ouvidas e os indivíduos respondem se cada palavra fora ouvida previamente. Os resultados obtidos computacionalmente aproximam-se bastante dos resultados obtidos com sujeitos humanos, e o modelo produzido serve como base para estudo das influências dos diversos processos atuantes durante a memorização e reconhecimento. / False memories are a kind of memory failure, in which the subject may (a) recognize as known an never seen object or never happened fact or (b) don\'t recognize something that was already presented him. These are false memories and wrong rejections. According to false memory theory, two parallel processes act during memorization and recognition, one on verbatim information and other on gist information. In this work is proposed a artificial neural network model system that takes in account these two processes, functional issues about brain structures involved on memorization and the an information flow analog to the occurred in the brain. The neural model is validated by training to store in recover lists of semantically related words. In the model and representation scheme formulation, phonological and semantic informations were used intending to simulate brain computations and results of human subjects experiments. In such experiment, 12 lists of something about 15 semantically related words, are heard and, in the second step, in the sequence, many of these words, other related words and not related words are heard in a recognition test, when subjets say if that word was or was not heard during memorization steps. Results obtained from computer tests are very close of human results, and the produced model may be used as a tool for analysis of the influences of the many processes that take place during memorization and recognition.

As falsas memórias são um tipo falha de memória, em que o indivíduo pode (a) reconhecer como tendo visto antes um objeto ou evento que não tenha ocorrido ou (b) não reconhecer algo previamente presenciado. Estes são o falso reconhecimento e a rejeição errada. Segundo a teoria do rastro difuso, dois processos distintos agem em paralelo durante a memorização e reconhecimento, um sobre as informações literais (verbatim) e o outro sobre a essência do significado da palavra (gist). Neste trabalho é proposto um sistema modular de redes neurais artificiais que considera estes dois processos, características funcionais das estruturas cerebrais envolvidas na memorização e fluxo de informação análogo ao ocorrido no cérebro. O modelo neural é validado através de treinamento para armazenar e recuperar listas de palavras semanticamente relacionadas. Na formulação do modelo e da representação foram considerados a representação fonológica e significado das palavras, de forma a simular as computações ocorridas e os resultados obtidos em experimentos efetuados com sujeitos humanos. Nestes experimentos, 12 listas de aproximadamente 15 palavras, cada lista semanticamente relacionadas a um tema são ouvidas e, em seguida, algumas destas palavras, a palavra tema e outras palavras não relacionadas são também ouvidas e os indivíduos respondem se cada palavra fora ouvida previamente. Os resultados obtidos computacionalmente aproximam-se bastante dos resultados obtidos com sujeitos humanos, e o modelo produzido serve como base para estudo das influências dos diversos processos atuantes durante a memorização e reconhecimento. / False memories are a kind of memory failure, in which the subject may (a) recognize as known an never seen object or never happened fact or (b) don\'t recognize something that was already presented him. These are false memories and wrong rejections. According to false memory theory, two parallel processes act during memorization and recognition, one on verbatim information and other on gist information. In this work is proposed a artificial neural network model system that takes in account these two processes, functional issues about brain structures involved on memorization and the an information flow analog to the occurred in the brain. The neural model is validated by training to store in recover lists of semantically related words. In the model and representation scheme formulation, phonological and semantic informations were used intending to simulate brain computations and results of human subjects experiments. In such experiment, 12 lists of something about 15 semantically related words, are heard and, in the second step, in the sequence, many of these words, other related words and not related words are heard in a recognition test, when subjets say if that word was or was not heard during memorization steps. Results obtained from computer tests are very close of human results, and the produced model may be used as a tool for analysis of the influences of the many processes that take place during memorization and recognition.