Using the DRM false memory recall paradigm to investigate hemispheric asymmetry and sex differences
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Date
2005Item status
Restricted AccessAuthor
Bellamy, Katarina
Metadata
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to replicate that of Ito’s (2001) in which hemispheric asymmetry was
explored using a false recognition and list learning paradigm to induce high levels of false recall for
semantically related, but non-studied, critical words. The experiment replicated that of Ito’s in that
it showed that the correct response rate for studied words and critical non-studied was significantly
higher when the words were presented to the (rvf)-LH than when presented to the (lvf)-RH. As with
Ito we discuss a model of fine semantic coding for the LH and coarse semantic coding to the RH
to explain the results and asked whether the model was sufficient to explain this pattern of verbal
memory recall. Furthermore, as increasing research has provided evidence that sex differences may
provide a bearing upon verbal memory recall skills, we divided our 32 subjects evenly between both
sexes. Although sex differences were not significant overall, which may be due to a low number of
subjects tested, descriptive statistics showed that women generally had a higher correct recall of studied
words, performing at a similar level to men in the LH but excelling in recall of studied words in
the RH. However, women also falsely recalled the critical non-studied words in the RH more than
men and this result did turn out to be significant. These results are also discussed under the coarse and
fine coding model along with the idea that sex differences fall along a continuum related to the sex of
an individual’s brain rather than their outward biological gender.