Mixing memories: The effects of rumors that conflict with children’s experiences

This study examined age differences in children’s vulnerability to be misled by two types of false overheard rumors, namely a rumor that suggested a reasonable explanation for an earlier unresolved experience and a rumor that suggested an explanation that conflicted with information already in memory. Results indicated that all of the children were highly susceptible to wrongly report the rumor as an actual experience when it merely filled a gap in memory. However, the 5- and 6-year-olds were better able than the 3- and 4-year-olds to resist the rumor when it suggested a conflicting explanation for a past event. Developmental changes in children’s understanding of conflicting mental representations were linked to their ability to resist being misled by the conflicting rumor.