Test-item sequence affects false memory formation: an event-related potential study

False memories arise when people 'remember' experiences that have never occurred. Using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, researchers have demonstrated that participants tend to falsely recognize non-studied words (lures) that are associated to previously studied words. Several questions, however, remain regarding the neurocognitive basis of false memory formation. Various encoding manipulations have been shown to affect the behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of false memories, but little is known about whether false memory formation and its neurophysiological correlates are influenced by different test contexts. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) during the DRM paradigm, wherein the test included lures that were either preceded by semantically related words or not. Results indicated more false recognitions for lures preceded by related words than for lures that were not preceded by related words at test. Furthermore, the former elicited more positive parietal potentials at 300-600 ms relative to the latter. These findings suggest that test context critically affects behavioral and neurophysiological responses for false memory, providing further insight into the neurocognitive basis of human memory.