Pseudomemory Responding in Hypnotic,Task-Motivated and Simulating Subjects: Memory Distortion or Reporting Bias?

Hypnotic, task-motivated and simulating subjects were administered a suggestion for a false memory (hearing noises) while “reliving” the events of an earlier night. Simulators reported the suggested noises more frequently than hypnotic subjects, and subjects in the three conditions failed to differ in endorsing the noises as real after termination of the “reliving” procedure. Subjects in the three conditions were also equally likely to reverse their pseudomemory reports following hidden observer instructions. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that pseudomemory responding in this paradigm reflects reporting bias rather than memory distortion.