Sleep Can Reduce False Memories
August 31, 2009
If you've ever lost a bet because you forgot something or remembered an event incorrectly, take note: Sleep can reduce false memories and even increase accuracy of episodic memory, according to a study in the journal Learning and Memory. Researchers at the University of Chicago, Illinois, and Michigan State University, East Lansing, examined three experiments that tested subjects' memories of studied words. The researchers found that sleep reduced false recognition of words that weren't studied for the test and there was no change in the subjects remembering words that were studied. Past research has indicated that memory is consolidated during sleep, but these experiments are the first to show sleep may be able to reduce false memories, according to the study abstract.
- Read the study abstract.
- Learn more about how memory is consolidated during sleep.
Copyright Notice: All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of the National Sleep Foundation. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Links to Web sites other than those owned by the National Sleep Foundation are offered as a service to readers and the foundation is not responsible for their content. Click here to request permission.
Advertisement Notice: The National Sleep Foundation neither control nor endorse the advertisements, items or Websites featured in the advertisers links on our Web pages.
