A cognitive neuropsychological approach to false memory: Korsakoff patients and the DRM paradigm

Although false memories have been studied extensively within the field of cognitive psychology, the role of cognitive neuropsychology in false memory research has been rather limited. Therefore, the present article aims at giving an integrated overview of both the neuropsychological study of amnesia and research on false memories. After considering some of the most important predecessors in the study of memory distortions/illusions, a list-learning paradigm designed to elicit and investigate false memories is described (i.e., the DRM paradigm), and theoretical accounts for the phenomenon are provided. Subsequently, the neuropsychological framework is presented, with an emphasis on Korsakoff patients’ performance in the earlier described paradigm. Several experimental manipulations, as well as the results, are discussed and interpreted in the light of both encoding and retrieval factors. (Netherlands Journal of Psychology, 64: 96-111.)