A tale of two distrusts: Memory distrust towards commission and omission errors in the Chinese context

Abstract

People differ in their skepticism toward their own memories, which is called memory distrust and is measured by the Squire Subjective Memory Questionnaire (SSMQ) and the Memory Distrust Scale (MDS). In Study 1 (N = 458), we translated the MDS into Chinese and found that MDS scores were correlated with self-reported memory errors, compliance, and life habits impacting source monitoring, and had acceptable test-retest reliability after four weeks. In Study 2, participants (N = 383) completed a recognition task and received false feedback, then they completed the recognition task again, and completed the MDS and SSMQ three days later. High (versus low) memory distrust people were more likely to accept the false feedback and change their memory afterward. The present research confirms the validity of the Chinese MDS, advancing the theoretical understanding of the interplay between meta-memorial beliefs and social influence on memory reconstruction.