Rejection of false events in childhood: A metamemory account

ABSTRACT—Knowing how to identify events that we never experienced is an important skill: This ability enables us to reject such events as part of our past and thus reduces the risk of creating false memories. Recent research highlights the involvement of metamemory processes in this domain. I review empirical evidence pertaining to the functioning and development of the memorability-based strategy, a specificmechanism rooted inmetamemory.The substantial development of this mechanism during childhood can provide an account for children’s vulnerability to false-memory formation. KEYWORDS—metamemory; development; false-event rejec-tion When youwere a little child, did you fall and hurt your eye so you had to wear an eye patch for a few days? Take a few moment