Roediger and McDermott's experiments demonstrate that people can remember words not presented in lists, a phenomenon known as false memory. In Experiment 1, subjects studied 12-word lists, each containing associates of a nonpresented word. On recall tests, the nonpresented words were recalled 40% of the time and were later recognized with high confidence. In Experiment 2, with expanded lists, false recall rates reached 55%, and false recognition rates were comparable to hit rates. The act of recall enhanced later remembering of both studied and nonstudied material. These results reveal a powerful illusion of memory: people remember events that never happened. False memories, whether remembering events that never happened or remembering them differently, have gained attention in psychology and the public. The recent surge in interest is partly due to cases of previously unrecognized abuse reported during therapy. Some researchers argue that certain therapeutic practices can create false memories, leading to the apparent "recovery" of memories during therapy. Although false memories are not new, they have been studied in various laboratory paradigms for years. Bartlett (1932) was the first to experimentally investigate false memories, noting distortions in subjects' memories over repeated attempts to recall a story. His work distinguished between reproductive and reconstructive memory. Reproductive memory refers to accurate, rote production of material, while reconstructive memory involves filling in missing elements and can lead to errors. Bartlett's work influenced subsequent research on false memories, which has primarily used paradigms involving sentences, prose, slide sequences, or videotapes. Deese (1959) developed a paradigm where subjects studied lists of words associated with a nonpresented word. His results showed that some lists reliably induced subjects to recall the nonpresented word as an intrusion. Roediger and McDermott replicated Deese's findings, showing that false recall and recognition were high, with subjects recalling nonpresented words at similar rates to presented words. They also found that false recognition rates for nonpresented words approached hit rates for studied words. In Experiment 1, subjects studied six lists and were tested on recognition. They falsely recognized nonpresented words at high rates, with confidence ratings similar to those for studied words. In Experiment 2, with 24 lists, false recall rates increased to 55%, and false recognition rates were even higher. Subjects often falsely recalled nonpresented words and reported remembering them, indicating a powerful false memory effect. The results suggest that false memories can be created through associative processes, where prior exposure to related words influences the recall of nonpresented words. These findings have implications for understanding memory distortions and the reliability of memory in therapeutic settings.Roediger and McDermott's experiments demonstrate that people can remember words not presented in lists, a phenomenon known as false memory. In Experiment 1, subjects studied 12-word lists, each containing associates of a nonpresented word. On recall tests, the nonpresented words were recalled 40% of the time and were later recognized with high confidence. In Experiment 2, with expanded lists, false recall rates reached 55%, and false recognition rates were comparable to hit rates. The act of recall enhanced later remembering of both studied and nonstudied material. These results reveal a powerful illusion of memory: people remember events that never happened. False memories, whether remembering events that never happened or remembering them differently, have gained attention in psychology and the public. The recent surge in interest is partly due to cases of previously unrecognized abuse reported during therapy. Some researchers argue that certain therapeutic practices can create false memories, leading to the apparent "recovery" of memories during therapy. Although false memories are not new, they have been studied in various laboratory paradigms for years. Bartlett (1932) was the first to experimentally investigate false memories, noting distortions in subjects' memories over repeated attempts to recall a story. His work distinguished between reproductive and reconstructive memory. Reproductive memory refers to accurate, rote production of material, while reconstructive memory involves filling in missing elements and can lead to errors. Bartlett's work influenced subsequent research on false memories, which has primarily used paradigms involving sentences, prose, slide sequences, or videotapes. Deese (1959) developed a paradigm where subjects studied lists of words associated with a nonpresented word. His results showed that some lists reliably induced subjects to recall the nonpresented word as an intrusion. Roediger and McDermott replicated Deese's findings, showing that false recall and recognition were high, with subjects recalling nonpresented words at similar rates to presented words. They also found that false recognition rates for nonpresented words approached hit rates for studied words. In Experiment 1, subjects studied six lists and were tested on recognition. They falsely recognized nonpresented words at high rates, with confidence ratings similar to those for studied words. In Experiment 2, with 24 lists, false recall rates increased to 55%, and false recognition rates were even higher. Subjects often falsely recalled nonpresented words and reported remembering them, indicating a powerful false memory effect. The results suggest that false memories can be created through associative processes, where prior exposure to related words influences the recall of nonpresented words. These findings have implications for understanding memory distortions and the reliability of memory in therapeutic settings.