Creativity and False Memory in Aging

Because falsely remembering information can have negative consequences for older adults, it is vital that we understand the factors that place older individuals at risk for experiencing memory errors. Prior research suggests that one factor associated with false memory is quantitative divergent creative thinking (Thakral et al., 2021, 2023), or the ability to fluently generate ideas. However, it is currently unknown whether this relationship extends to later life. Based on research demonstrating that divergent thinking is more dependent on semantic knowledge in later life (Adnan, Beaty, Lam, et al., 2019; Adnan, Beaty, Silvia, et al., 2019), and theorizing that the relationship between quantitative divergent thinking and false recognition memory is due to both processes relying on the generation of semantic associations (Thakral et al., 2021), we predict that the positive relationship between quantitative divergent thinking and false recognition will be stronger for older compared to younger adults. This prediction will be tested using structural equation modeling in a large sample who completed multiple measures of divergent thinking and false memory.