Running heads: ACTIVATION OF TRUE AND FALSE MEMORY

1 This paper compares the activation of false memory traces with true memory traces and control 2 items. An incidental learning version of the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm (DRM) is used 3 in conjunction with a Lexical Decision Task (LDT). One hundred participants read 5 DRM lists 4 intermixed with 4 non-word lists. After a delay manipulated into 3 experimental conditions 5 (immediate, 3-minute and 10-minute), they were asked to classify actually studied items, CIs, new 6 words and non words in an LDT. Results showed that, independent of the delay, the classification 7 latency of the CIs was the same as that for actually studied words and that both were more active 8 than matched control items. Moreover, results showed that the delay affects the activation of true 9 and false memories at the same rate. Overall the results seem to support the hypothesis that false 10 memories trace becomes additive traces that are integrated into the episodic memory, with the same 11 features of the true memories. 12