A meta-analysis of false memory in healthy and pathological cognitive aging.
Abstract
= 0.608, 95% CI [-0.286, 1.502]) than healthy older adults. For the study and test phase, moderator analyses indicated that experimental material, modality, true memory, paradigm, type of test, and the retention interval significantly influenced aging effect on false memory. For general moderators, participants' age and education level were also significant. Our results underscore the importance of integrating the fuzzy-trace theory and activation-monitoring theory to account for age differences in false memory across types. Both healthy and pathological cognitive aging increase susceptibility to false memory, and the decline in verbatim memory and monitoring functions, combined with hyperactivation during encoding, may account for aging effect in false memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Fields of Study & Subjects
Memory Processes and Influences
Face Recognition and Perception
Identity
Memory
and Therapy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Psychology and Aging
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 497–524
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN