Graduation Year

2022

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Psychology

Faculty Advisor

Leamarie Gordon

Abstract

Previous research has found a link between trait mindfulness and various aspects of wellbeing and cognition. Further, research on state mindfulness has found it to relate to performance on a memory task designed to examine eyewitness susceptibility. In the present study, I sought to expand on these findings by examining whether levels of trait mindfulness would also predict how susceptible individuals’ memories are to external suggestion. Seventy-three participants studied six common household scenes, and then rated the pleasantness of items they were told were recalled by another participant. These items included six suggested items not present in the scenes. After completing a two-part memory task including a free recall test and a source recognition test, participants completed a mindfulness questionnaire to measure levels of trait mindfulness. Results showed that participants demonstrated false memory for the suggested items on the recall test, but not the recognition test. Further, I found a positive correlation between mindfulness levels and accurate recognition. These results suggest that people who are higher in mindfulness may show better source monitoring abilities, but their susceptibility to misleading information from a social source may not be related.

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