The phenomenology of false memories: Episodic content and confidence

Three experiments investigated the phenomenology of false memories in J. D. Bransford and J. J. Franks's (1971) semantic integration paradigm using Remember-Know judgments and confidence ratings. Findings included high rates of Remember false alarms that increased with greater integrative demands, a dissociation between Remember and Know judgments in the standard Bransford and Franks condition, and similar patterns of Remember and Know judgments in a condition where semantic integrative processes were weakened. Confidence ratings were consistently higher for Remember judgments except where integrative processes were greatest. These results are discussed in terms of the phenomenology of true and false memory for episodes.