TY - JOUR
T1 - Imagining nice and nasty events in childhood or adulthood
T2 - Recent positive events show the most imagination inflation
AU - Sharman, Stefanie J.
AU - Barnier, Amanda J.
PY - 2008/10
Y1 - 2008/10
N2 - We explored whether event recency and valence affect people's susceptibility to imagination inflation. Using a three-stage procedure, subjects imagined positive and negative events happening in their distant or recent past. First, subjects rated how confident they were that they had experienced particular positive and negative events in childhood or adulthood using a Life Events Inventory (LEI). Two weeks later, they imagined two positive and two negative events from the LEI. Finally, they rated their confidence on the LEI a second time. For positive events, subjects showed more imagination inflation for adulthood than childhood events. For negative events, they showed no difference in imagination inflation for adulthood and childhood events. We discuss factors that may influence source confusions for memories of the past and highlight directions for future research.
AB - We explored whether event recency and valence affect people's susceptibility to imagination inflation. Using a three-stage procedure, subjects imagined positive and negative events happening in their distant or recent past. First, subjects rated how confident they were that they had experienced particular positive and negative events in childhood or adulthood using a Life Events Inventory (LEI). Two weeks later, they imagined two positive and two negative events from the LEI. Finally, they rated their confidence on the LEI a second time. For positive events, subjects showed more imagination inflation for adulthood than childhood events. For negative events, they showed no difference in imagination inflation for adulthood and childhood events. We discuss factors that may influence source confusions for memories of the past and highlight directions for future research.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=52049084792&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.06.003
DO - 10.1016/j.actpsy.2008.06.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 18639859
AN - SCOPUS:52049084792
SN - 0001-6918
VL - 129
SP - 228
EP - 233
JO - Acta Psychologica
JF - Acta Psychologica
IS - 2
ER -