DRM Paradigm: Evidence that Alzheimer's Patients Think of the Critical Lure as Often as Healthy Older Participants.

Background: Up to now, in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm, the lower production of false memories in Alzheimer's disease has been explained in terms of non-activation of the critical lure.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the critical lure activation process from items of DRM lists in Alzheimer's patients, using a free association task.

Method: Twenty-six young adults, 25 older adults, and 17 Alzheimer's patients performed a free association task with DRM words.

Results: Analyses indicated that Alzheimer's patients produced as many critical lures in the free association task as healthy older participants, but significantly fewer than younger participants.

Conclusion: Our results suggest that the low production of critical lures in DRM tasks usually reported in Alzheimer's patients might not be due to a semantic deficit that prevents the activation of the critical lure.