ABSTRACT
Although we are all able to remember some of the events that occurred in our past, the accuracy of these recollections are typically less than perfect (e.g., Adams, 1967; Frischholz, 1990; Klatsky, 1980; Loftus, 1979). For example, sometimes we are unable to remember anything about a past event. At other times, what we do recall may not reflect what actually transpired despite a strong sense of subjective confidence in the veracity of our recollection (Deffenbacher, 1980). In other words, there are two types of potential decrements in memory performance: inaccurate recollections and complete recall failures. Unfortunately, the majority of research on human memory processes carried out in the last century focused on identifying those variables that moderate our ability to remember correctly the events of our past (Ebbinghaus, 1885; Frischholz, 1990; Klatsky, 1980; Loftus, 1979; McGeoch, 1932; Thorndike, 1913). By contrast, much fewer studies have explored those factors that determine incorrect recollections or a failure to recall anything at all (Frischholz, 1990).
