Actually, a picture is worth less than 45 words: Narratives produce more false memories than photographs do
Open accessAbstract
Most memory "implantation" studies have elicited false memories by using fake narratives. Recently, Wade, Garry, Read, and Lindsay (2002) showed that doctored photographs can be used to create false childhood memories in adults. Fifty percent of Wade et al.'s sample reported details of taking a childhood hot air balloon ride, although they had never been in a balloon. In this experiment, we investigated whether photos or narratives influence memory more than the other. We exposed subjects to either a fake photograph or a fake narrative of a childhood hot air balloon ride. Subjects tried to remember the false event and three real events over 1 week. Narratives were more likely to produce false memory reports than were photos. We offer a fluency-based account of our results and suggest that narratives promote more familiarity in subjects than do photographs.
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The conclusion that people's autobiographical memories are prone to either self-induced intervention or secret manipulation is well established.
“but the conclusion that people's autobiographical memories are prone to either self-induced intervention or secret manipulation is well established (Garry and Wade, 2005).6”
From Digital photography: communication, identity, memory (2008) · cites this paper as Garry and Wade, 2005
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- Authors
- Garry, M., & Wade, K. A.
- Affiliations
- Victoria University of Wellington (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Garry, Maryanne
- Venue
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Published
- 2005-04
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 359-366
- ISSN
- 1069-9384 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-5320
- OpenAlex
- W2170980099
- Cited by
- 131
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 3.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
- Keywords
- false memory, photographs, childhood memories, memory implantation, familiarity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Humans, Portraits as Topic, Repression, Psychology, Visual Perception, Vocabulary, Narration
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