Comparing Autobiographical Brand Images and Neutral Images Regarding False Memory Formation

INTRODUCTION: Consumers’ prior experiences form an episodic memory that largely influences their decision-making process. This episodic memory is mainly linked to cognitive and emotional perception and we know that brand image influences our cognitive and emotional perception. Nevertheless, it has not been well described how autobiographical memories of brand images differ from other types of images. METHODS: In this study, we hypothesized that brand pictures have a higher chance to create false memories as compared to neutral ones. RESULTS: We investigated this hypothesis using the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm with lists of brand pictures from the local market and associated neutral images from the international affective picture system. Thirty graduate students were exposed to image stimuli, followed by a distractor task and a recognition task. After the normality test, reaction times (RT), and false recognition rate of brands and neutral images were statistically compared using a pairwise t-test. CONCLUSION: The results showed a significant decrease in reaction time (RT) and an increase in the false recognition rate of brand pictures compared to neutral images. Interestingly, the effect of gender on the creation of false memory by autobiographical brand images was not significant. We hope these findings can pave the way for a better understanding of the false memory mechanism. HIGHLIGHTS: Autobiographical brand images give a higher chance of false memory as compared to neutral images. Men and women do not differ in the formation of false memory. Reaction time in false memory is longer than in true memory. False positives create more cognitive load. PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: We see many images around us every day, such as the image of different brands in our daily shopping, which puts us in front of different types of images, many of which are old, these brands become part of our life memories, and their images are aspects of autobiography. Therefore, these brands can form false memories for people. The image stimuli of this study are to investigate whether these images can form false memories or not. The results showed that the images that we see every day in the street of the supermarket and can change our memories.