2026/07/09 by Mahveen Salman Mubarak, Olya Bulatova, Saba Halabisaz +2 · 1 voice
Neuroscience · #Memory Processes and Influences #Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies #Memory and Neural Mechanisms
paper · doi:10.31234/osf.io/g8peq_v1
To make sense of the world in real time, the human brain predicts incoming visual events.A recent study demonstrated that predictions alone induced false memories of the predicted butnever experienced events, even in the face of direct prediction violation (Bulatova & Fukuda,2025). However, it remains unclear whether this prediction-based false memory can beeliminated by large prediction violations, action selection, schema inconsistencies, and anovernight delay. To test this, we had participants perform a novel color memory task in whichthey predicted the color of a real-world object using a continuous color wheel. After theprediction, the object either turned into 1) the same color as the prediction (Confirmation), 2) asimilar color (45° violation), 3) the opposite color (180° violation), or 4) remained colorless, thusneither confirming nor rebutting their predictions. Critically, participants were instructed toremember the actual color of the object, not their prediction. Across four experiments, theprediction-based false memories were remarkably robust; they survived prediction violationregardless of its extent (Experiment 1), occurred even when prediction was decoupled fromaction selection (Experiment 2) and schema (Experiment 3), and withstood overnight delay,whereas veridical memories faded (Experiment 4). Together, these findings reveal the powerfulinfluence of explicit predictions on what we remember, underscoring the central role thatexpectations play in shaping episodic memory.