Opposite developmental trends for false recognition of basic and superordinate names

This study investigated the development of false memories for basic and superordinate names using the
DRM procedure. Two experiments were conducted with younger (3 5 years old) and older (10 12 years
old) children. In the first experiment the DRM procedure was used with categorised lists and in the
second experiment both types of lists*categorised and associative*were applied. False recognition for
basic and superordinate names showed opposite developmental trends, regardless of list type. False
recognition increased for critical-basic items and decreased for critical-superordinate items with age.
These opposing results are mainly explained by age differences in conceptual knowledge and editing
processes.