Absorption, Dissociation, and Fantasy-Proneness as Predictors of Memory Distortion in Autobiographical and Laboratory-Generated Memories

Abstract

Individual differences in susceptibility to memory distortion in autobiographical and laboratory-generated memories were examined. Subjects from an earlier autobiographical memory study completed three personality measures and a list learning task designed to elicit false memories. Scores on the Tellegen Absorption Scale were negatively correlated with accuracy of the autobiographical memory. None of the personality measures predicted the occurrence of false memories in the laboratory task. Distortion of autobiographical memories was positively correlated with the production of false memories in the laboratory task. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.