Search

Dopamine can modulate long-term episodic memory. Its potential role on the generation of false memories, however, is less well known. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment, 24 young healthy volunteers ingested a 4-mg oral dose of haloperidol, a dopamine D

Despite evidence that individual differences in numeracy affect judgment and decision making, the precise mechanisms underlying how such differences produce biases and fallacies remain unclear. Numeracy scales have been developed without sufficient theoretical grounding, and their relation to other cognitive tasks that assess numerical reasoning, such as the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), has been debated. In studies conducted in Brazil and in the USA, we administered an objective Numeracy Scale (NS), Subjective Numeracy Scale (SNS), and the CRT to assess whether they measured similar constructs. The Rational–Experiential Inventory, inhibition (go/no-go task), and intelligence were also investigated. By examining factor solutions along with frequent errors for questions that loaded on each factor, we characterized different types of processing captured by different items on these scales. We also tested the predictive power of these factors to account for biases and fallacies in probability judgments. In the first study, 259 Brazilian undergraduates were tested on the conjunction and disjunction fallacies. In the second study, 190 American undergraduates responded to a ratio-bias task. Across the different samples, the results were remarkably similar. The results indicated that the CRT is not just another numeracy scale, that objective and subjective numeracy scales do not measure an identical construct, and that different aspects of numeracy predict different biases and fallacies. Dimensions of numeracy included computational skills such as multiplying, proportional reasoning, mindless or verbatim matching, metacognitive monitoring, and understanding the gist of relative magnitude, consistent with dual-process theories such as fuzzy-trace theory.

El Efecto de Generación (EG) se refi ere a la ventaja memorística que tiene la información que fue generada por nosotros mismos (e.g., dep_rt_me_to), en comparación con la información que recibimos sólo para memorizarla (e.g., departamento). La ventaja del EG en la memoria viene siendo cuestionada debido a los altos niveles de asociación que tiene con las FM y debido a propuestas recientes que indican que ambos fenómenos comparten procesos memorísticos. Las FM son reportes memorísticos que difi eren parcial o totalmente de los eventos experimentados. El objetivo del presente artículo es presentar una revisión de estudios clásicos sobre EG y FM, así como la interacción de estos dos fenómenos y las propuestas explicativas existentes para ellos. Además, se pretende analizar la hipótesis que sugieren que el EG podría no solo aumentar índices de Memorias Verdaderas, sino también índices de FM. De ello se sugieren posibles líneas de investigación empírica que permitan esclarecer la relación entre estos dos fenómenos. The generation effect (GE) is the memory advantage of a self-generated (e.g., dep_rt_me_t) information, as compared to information that has been received complete, just to be memorized (e.g., department). The advantage of the GE in memory has been questioned because of its high associations with FM, and recent approaches that state commonality of responsible memory processes to both phenomena. FM refers to memory reports that are partially or totally inconsistent with experienced events. The aim of the present paper is to review the classical studies on GE and FM, as well as the interaction with each other and the theoretical approaches about them. Some hypotheses suggesting that the GE could not only enhance true memory but also produce more FM are discussed. Possible lines for future empirical research that may lead to clarify the relationship between these two phenomena are considered.