Analogy Causes Distorted Memory by Blending Memory Episodes

The present study compares two cases of blending between episodes: blending of episodes that share a number of elements (superficially similar episodes) and blending of episodes that share the same structure of relations but do not share the same elements. According to classic theories and models of blending, superficially similar episodes are more likely to be blended because there is a larger overlap of the feature vectors representing them. In contrast, according to the AMBR model of analogy-making and memory, analogous episodes are more likely to be blended. The results obtained in the present study support the prediction of the AMBR model: people blend structurally similar episodes much more often than superficially similar ones. These results are consistent with previous experiments on the influence of analogymaking on constructive memory.