City Research Online

Abstract

Although there is a consensus about age-related impairments in true memory, the relationship between aging and false memory remains less clear. Both the FuzzyTrace Theory and the Activation-Monitoring Theory postulate possible effects of cognitive aging on the processes of encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Yet, quantitative analyses of cognitive aging, both healthy (younger vs. older adults) and pathological (older adults vs. mild cognitive impairment, MCI/Alzheimer's disease, AD), on false memory have not been conducted. We meta-analyzed 150 articles with 414 independent effect sizes and found a robust aging effect of false memory, with older adults showing higher levels of false memory than younger adults in both spontaneous (Hedges’ g = 0.538, 95% CI [0.432, 0.644]) and suggestion-induced false memory (Hedges’ g = 0.460, 95%CI [0.255, 0.665]). MCI/AD patients showed significantly higher levels of spontaneous (Hedges’ g = 0.486, 95%CI [0.053, 0.919]) but not suggestion-induced false memory (Hedges’ g = 0.608, 95% CI [-0.286, 1.502]) than healthy older adults. For study and test phase, moderator analyses indicated that experimental material, modality, true memory, paradigm, type of test, and the retention interval significantly influenced aging effect on false memory. For general moderators, participants’ age and education level were also significant. Our results underscore the importance of integrating the FTT and AMT to account for age differences in false memory across types. Both healthy and pathological cognitive aging increase susceptibility to false memory, and the decline in verbatim memory and monitoring functions, combined with hyperactivation during encoding, may account for aging effect in false memory

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	©American Psychological Association, 2025. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. The final article will be available, upon publication - www.apa.org/pubs/journals/pag/index.
Publisher Keywords:	false memory, older adults, cognitive status, Fuzzy-Trace Theory, Activation-Monitoring Theory
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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