Are suggestible people more likely to change their belief in the occurrence of autobiographical events?

Abstract

peer reviewedA “nonbelieved memory” (NBM) refers to an autobiographical memory that is no longer believed to represent an event that actually took place, despite a vivid recollection of the event. While most studies have sought tocharacteriseNBMs (e.g. their frequency, dating, phenomenological characteristics), very few studies have attempted to differentiate individuals who report these memories from those who do not. The aim of the present study was thus to examine the role of suggestibility on the occurrence of NBMs and on the reasons for changes in belief in the occurrence of an event. One hundred and eighty-three people aged between 20 and 60 first completed the short version of the Multidimensional Iowa Suggestibility Scale and the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale. They were then asked whether or not they could report an NBM.If so, they had to describe the event, explain why they had stopped believing in its occurrence, and rate the phenomenological characteristics of their memory.In addition, participants had to describe an age-matched believed memory (BM) so that the characteristics of both types of memories could be compared. The results showed that a higher level of suggestibility was associated with a greater likelihood of reporting an NBM. However, contrary to our hypothesis that more suggestible people would tend to change their belief due to social feedback, there was no link between reasons for changing one’s belief and individual levels of suggestibility