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The Accuracy of Autobiographical Memory: A Replication of Barclay & Wellman (1986)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Harald Merckelbach ,
Ineke Wessel  and
Robert Horselenberg
Harald Merckelbach
Affiliation:
Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Ineke Wessel
Affiliation:
Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Robert Horselenberg
Affiliation:
Maastricht University, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Ten volunteers kept written records of self-selected, daily events for a one-week period. After four months, they were given a surprise recognition test. This test consisted of original memories and several types of foils. In line with previous findings of Barclay and Wellman, it was found that acceptance of foils as one's own memories is a relatively common phenomenon. This suggests that pseudomemories may also occur in the absence of suggestions and repeated interviews and, more generally, that autobiographical memory is intrinsically unreliable.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , April 1997 , pp. 103 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1997

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