What factors underlie associative and categorical memory illusions? The roles of backward associative strength and interitem connectivity

Factors that affect categorical and associative false memory illusions were investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, Backward Associative Strength (BAS) from the list word to the critical lure and inter-item connectivity were manipulated in Deese/Roediger-McDermott (DRM) and category list types. For both recall and recognition tasks, the likelihood of producing DRM and category false memories was greater for lists with high BAS and low inter-item connectivity. In Experiment 2, DRM and category lists with high BAS showed similar indirect priming effects in a word stem completion task. With low BAS, category lists, unlike DRM lists, showed no priming effect. We discuss the role of BAS, inter-item connectivity, and associate level differences in implicit and explicit measures of false memory production.