Psychological Development and Education ›› 2025, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (1): 12-21.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2025.01.02

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Development of Semantic False Memories in Adolescents: Study and Test Factors

GUO Ying1,2, CHEN Xiaodan1,3, LIU Wenzhi1,4, LIU Yutong1,5, ZHU Bi1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    2. Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    3. Nanshan Foreign Language Senior High School, Shenzhen 518000;
    4. School of Education, Cangzhou Normal University, Cangzhou 061001;
    5. Zhengzhou No. 56 High School, Zhengzhou 451450
  • Published:2025-01-22

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Abstract: This study investigated the development of semantic false memories in Chinese adolescents, and explored the effect of learning and testing on adolescents’ semantic false memories by comparing visual versus auditory studies and immediate versus delayed tests. Experiment 1 examined the differences in semantic false recall among middle school, high school and college students. Experiment 2 explored the differences in semantic false recognition between high school and college students on immediate and delayed one-week tests. Experiment 3 explored the differences in semantic false recognition between high school and college students after visual and auditory learning. Results showed that semantic false recall of middle and high school students was lower than that of college students, while true recall of middle school students was lower than that of high school and college students (Experiment 1). Prolonged testing intervals led to a decrease in true recognition and an increase in false recognition. Specifically, high school students had lower true recognition rates and comparable false recognition rates than college students in the immediate test, while high school students had both lower true and false recognition rates than college students in the delayed test (Experiment 2). Both high school students and college students had higher true recognition and lower false recognition in the immediate visual test after visual learning than after auditory learning, with no age group differences (Experiment 3). In support of fuzzy trace theory, these findings illustrate the development of verbatim and gist traces and may help us to understand the memory development of adolescents.

Key words: memory development, false memory, middle and high school students, college students, learning and testing

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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