Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes

Age is a major social categorization information because it is one of the first attributes that is perceived about an individual. The present study used the misinformation paradigm to investigate memory and false memory for information that is either expected or unexpected based on age stereotypes....

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Main Authors: Z. Asude Kaymak Gülseren, Simay İkier
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology 2025-02-01
Series:Europe's Journal of Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.13729
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author Z. Asude Kaymak Gülseren
Simay İkier
author_facet Z. Asude Kaymak Gülseren
Simay İkier
author_sort Z. Asude Kaymak Gülseren
collection DOAJ
description Age is a major social categorization information because it is one of the first attributes that is perceived about an individual. The present study used the misinformation paradigm to investigate memory and false memory for information that is either expected or unexpected based on age stereotypes. Young adults were presented with a passage depicting a crime. The passage also contained information about the physical performance and social behavior of the main character that was either expected (expected information condition) or unexpected (unexpected information condition) for his age. The main character was a young adult in the expected information condition and an older adult in the unexpected information condition. Next, misinformation was provided about a detail related to the crime. After a non-verbal filler task, participants recalled the exact sentences from the passage, and then they completed a forced-choice recognition test for them. Measures of attitudes toward older adults did not differ across the groups. The results revealed worse recognition memory for the sentences and higher false recognition of the misinformation in the expected information condition than in the unexpected information condition. The recall test revealed higher commission errors in the expected information condition than in the unexpected information condition. Commission errors were in general consistent with the information in the passage. The results imply that stereotypically expected information is automatically processed, making it more vulnerable to memory errors. The study contributes to the understanding of the memory processes underlying stereotyping that can lead to prejudice and discrimination.
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spelling doaj-art-06d91a3eb01c43a680ac9ca15ef511bd2025-08-20T02:16:12ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for PsychologyEurope's Journal of Psychology1841-04132025-02-01211405310.5964/ejop.13729ejop.13729Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age StereotypesZ. Asude Kaymak Gülseren0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9247-8727Simay İkier1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3810-0958Department of Psychology, Bahçeşehir University, İstanbul, TürkiyeFaculty of Human and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Marmara University, İstanbul, TürkiyeAge is a major social categorization information because it is one of the first attributes that is perceived about an individual. The present study used the misinformation paradigm to investigate memory and false memory for information that is either expected or unexpected based on age stereotypes. Young adults were presented with a passage depicting a crime. The passage also contained information about the physical performance and social behavior of the main character that was either expected (expected information condition) or unexpected (unexpected information condition) for his age. The main character was a young adult in the expected information condition and an older adult in the unexpected information condition. Next, misinformation was provided about a detail related to the crime. After a non-verbal filler task, participants recalled the exact sentences from the passage, and then they completed a forced-choice recognition test for them. Measures of attitudes toward older adults did not differ across the groups. The results revealed worse recognition memory for the sentences and higher false recognition of the misinformation in the expected information condition than in the unexpected information condition. The recall test revealed higher commission errors in the expected information condition than in the unexpected information condition. Commission errors were in general consistent with the information in the passage. The results imply that stereotypically expected information is automatically processed, making it more vulnerable to memory errors. The study contributes to the understanding of the memory processes underlying stereotyping that can lead to prejudice and discrimination.https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.13729agingstereotypeexpectationmemoryrecallrecognitionfalse memory
spellingShingle Z. Asude Kaymak Gülseren
Simay İkier
Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes
Europe's Journal of Psychology
aging
stereotype
expectation
memory
recall
recognition
false memory
title Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes
title_full Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes
title_fullStr Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes
title_full_unstemmed Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes
title_short Memory and False Memory for Information That Is Either Expected or Unexpected Based on Age Stereotypes
title_sort memory and false memory for information that is either expected or unexpected based on age stereotypes
topic aging
stereotype
expectation
memory
recall
recognition
false memory
url https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.13729
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AT simayikier memoryandfalsememoryforinformationthatiseitherexpectedorunexpectedbasedonagestereotypes