ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter the idea of attribution processes was introduced as central to the creation of memory errors. A nonstudied event may conjure illusory recollection and/or a feeling of familiarity and these subjective experiences can cause a false memory if they are attributed to the past. The flip side to this idea is that if one can avoid attributing familiarity or illusory recollection to the past, then false memories can be avoided. Researchers have uncovered a host of variables that help subjects avoid false memories, by enhancing retrieval monitoring or editing processes. These processes fall under the broad umbrella of “metamemory,” “metacognition,” or “cognitive control.” As they are applied to false memory monitoring, these terms often (but not always) refer to conscious or deliberate decision processes that use various types of information to reject an event as false.
