PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article REPEATED EXPOSURE TO SUGGESTION AND THE CREATION OF FALSE MEMORIES

Abstract-The pirrpose of the presetit stiidy was to e-rtetid re-search oti repetition atid illirsory triitli to the dotmiti of eyewit-ness suggestibility. Specifically, we assessed whether repeated exposirre to sirggestioti, relcitive to CI sitigle exposiire, fiicilitates the creritioti of false ttiettioty for sirggested events. Afrer view-itig n video of a birrglary, siihjecis were asked qiiestiotis colt-taitiitig ttiisleaditig sirggestiotis, sotiie.f wliicli were repeated. Their tiietiiory for the soirrce of the sirggestiotis IIWS tested. Tlie resirlts sliow that fi)llowitig repeated (relritive to N sitigle) e.rpo-siire to sirggestiori. srihjects were tiiore likely to (a) clriirti witli high cottfidetice that they retnetiihered the suggested eretits from the video (Experitnetit I) arid (h) c l h i tliat they coti-scioiisly recollected wittiessitig the sirggested evetits (E-rperi-tttetit 2). Tlie effects of repeated e.rposrire were Iiiglily reliiihle atid were observed over retetitioti ititervals (is long [is I week. Repetition produces the illusion of truth. Studies have shown that subjects rate repeated statements as more true than statements that have not been repeated (e.g., Arkes, Hackett