Improving preschoolers\u27 memories for the sources of events: A comparison of two source-monitoring training techniques

Preschoolers have a tendency to confuse the sources of events when recalling information. Two source-monitoring training (SMT) techniques were compared to see whether source confusions can be reduced in 3- to 4-year-old children (N = 37). After watching a puppet-show and story, children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: two SMT conditions (explicit and implicit) and one control condition (memory training) where they were trained on non-target puppet-show and story events. The explicit method consisted of a clear mention of both sources (story, puppet show) and their modality (hearing and seeing, respectively) during training, specific instruction to utilize the strategy during the target interview and a definition, and clear mention to beware of misleading questions. The implicit condition utilized a general mention of both sources (hear, see) as well as no mention of misleading questions or instruction to continue utilizing the strategy. Children in the control condition were not given source training, but rather were trained to recognize the presence of items in each event. No differences were found between conditions in response to yes-no questions. However planned comparisons revealed differences between the explicit and control groups with regards to source-recognition, with the explicit group performing more accurately with regards to identification. Children in the implicit group were more likely to respond \u27I don\u27t know\u27 in comparison to the control group with regards to open-ended questions. Implications for strategy development are discussed