Plausibility and belief in autobiographical memory

Abstract

Abstract Investigations of the recovery and falsification of childhood memories have used one construct in lieu of another. Autobiographical memories have typically not been distinguished from autobiographical beliefs, and researchers have assumed that plausibility and schematic knowledge measure identical constructs. We tested the hypothesis that plausibility, autobiographical belief, and autobiographical memory are nested constructs, such that memory implies belief and belief implies plausibility. Six hundred and eighty five students answered questions about these constructs in relation to ten possible childhood events. Analysis of item means, response probabilities and the frequency with which items followed the predicted order demonstrated that the predicted pattern was upheld in over 95% of cases. Results did not support the hypothesis that plausibility and script knowledge are significantly related. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.