developmental reversal / inversion développementale
Group: Human, Psychology, Thematic grouping Memory and Law
Groupe : Homme, Psychologie, Regroupement thématique Mémoire et justice
Definition: The term used for the fact that in some memory tasks, young children produce fewer false memories than older children and adults. These tasks (e.g. the DRM task) involve the ability to relate items associatively or semantically, an ability that becomes more efficient as children get older.
Définition : Terme utilisé pour désigner le fait que, dans certaines tâches de mémoire, les jeunes enfants produisent un moins grand nombre de faux souvenirs que les enfants plus âgés et les adultes. Les tâches en cause permettent la mise en relation sémantique des stimuli qui devient plus efficiente à mesure que les enfants grandissent. C'est le cas du paradigme DRM.
Broader term: memory phenomenon
Terme générique : phénomène de la mémoire
Related terms: spontaneous false memory, eyewitness testimony, suggestibility, misinformation effect, DRM paradigm, DRM memory illusion, induced false memory
Termes associés : faux souvenir spontané, témoignage oculaire, suggestibilité, effet de désinformation, paradigme DRM, illusion mnésique DRM, faux souvenir induit
Has theories: associative-activation theory, fuzzy trace theory
Moderator variables: Stimulus type: The effect is eliminated when stimuli contains obvious themes (more false memories in children than in adults; Otgaar et al., 2014).
Selected bibliography: Brainerd, C. J., & Reyna, V. F. (2012). Reliability of children’s testimony in the era of developmental reversals. Developmental Review, 32(3), 224–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2012.06.008 [Study type: literature review / Access: open], Brainerd, C. J. (2013). Developmental reversals in false memory: A new look at the reliability of children’s evidence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(5), 335–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721413484468 [Study type: literature review / Access: closed], Brainerd, C. J., Reyna, V. F., & Holliday, R. E. (2018). Developmental reversals in false memory: Development is complementary, not compensatory. Developmental Psychology, 54(9), 1773–1784. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000554 [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed], Brainerd, C. J., & Reyna, V. F. (2023). Theoretical explanations of developmental reversals in memory and reasoning. Developmental Review, 69, 101087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2023.101087 [Study type: literature review / Access: open], Calado, B., Otgaar, H., & Muris, P. (2018). Are children better witnesses than adolescents? Developmental trends in different false memory paradigms. Journal of Child Custody, 15(4), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.1080/15379418.2019.1568948 [Study type: empirical study / Access: open], Martin, P., Speranza, M., & Colombel, F. (in press). Creating false memories in children using French word lists. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000403 [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed], Otgaar, H., Howe, M. L., Peters, M., Smeets, T., & Moritz, S. (2014). The production of spontaneous false memories across childhood. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 121, 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2013.11.019 [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed], Otgaar, H., Howe, M. L., Merckelbach, H., & Muris, P. (2018). Who is the better eyewitness? Sometimes adults but at other times children. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(5), 378–385. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418770998 [Study type: literature review / Access: open], Otgaar, H., Howe, M. L., Muris, P., & Merckelbach, H. (2019). Dealing with false memories in children and adults: Recommendations for the legal arena. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6(1), 87–93. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732218818584 [Study type: literature review / Access: free], Schopen, K., Otgaar, H., Howe, M. L., & Muris, P. (2022). Effects of forewarnings on children’s and adults’ spontaneous false memories. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 19(2), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2021.1904877 [Study type: empirical study / Access: open]
Dataset citations: Calado, B., Otgaar, H., & Muris, P. (2018, September 27). Are Children Better Witnesses than Adolescents? Developmental Trends in Different False Memory Paradigms. doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/6EMH2, Otgaar, H. (2016). The production of spontaneous false memories across childhood [Data set]. DataverseNL. doi:10.34894/XJVTDE, Otgaar, H. (2016). When young children are better eyewitnesses than older children and adults: Developmental reversals in susceptibility to misinformation [Data set]. DataverseNL. doi:10.34894/CTDUVD