Schema Provoke False Knowing Even When Schema-Consistent Targets Had Not Been Presented

Human memory is not always an accurate record of experienced events. Information that has never beenexperienced but is consistent with a relevant schema is sometimes mistaken as memory, giving rise to falsememories. In this study, we focused on whether schema can provoke false memory for actions and for objectseven when schema-consistent targets had not been presented. We presented schema-inconsistent actions andschema-inconsistent objects in a slide sequence depicting a kitchen. Later, we administered an old/newrecognition test with remember/know judgments and Perception/Thought/Emotion/Context ratings forschema-inconsistent targets, schema-consistent distracters, and schema-inconsistent distracters. Both for theactions and the objects, participants more often falsely recognized schema-consistent distracters thanschema-inconsistent distracters. That is, memory can be reconstructed along the scene schema, provoking falsememory. However, these false memories were not typically accompanied by “remember†judgments but ratherby “know†judgments. The similarity between schema-consistent targets and schema-consistent distracters is anessential factor for false recollection.