The impact of sleep on the consolidation of veridical memory is well-established, but its effect on false memory remains unclear. Two experiments were conducted using the misinformation paradigm to investigate how sleep affects false memory. Participants completed three experimental phases - encoding, misinformation, and test. We manipulated the delay interval between encoding and test (Wake and Sleep) and the timing of misinformation (Pre-retention Interval and Post-retention Interval). Both experiments followed a similar general procedure, with one primary difference. In Experiment 1, participants were warned, prior to the test, that they had been exposed to misinformation. In Experiment 2, participants were not warned about the misinformation. In Experiment 1, there was lower false memory in the sleep group when misinformation was presented after a retention interval, compared to when the misinformation was presented prior to the retention interval. The Sleep group also outperformed the Wake group on correct recognition. In Experiment 2, false recognition of suggested items was higher when misinformation was presented after the retention interval for both delay conditions, Sleep and Wake. Correct recognition was similar for all groups. These findings suggest that sleep-dependent consolidation processes can reduce false memory, but only when conflicting information is encountered after a period of sleep and when participants are aware of the manipulation. It is therefore possible that awareness is an essential factor in preventing false memory. This research has important implication for theories of memory consolidation as well as applied implications for the criminal justice system, as inaccurate recollection has a profound effect on eyewitness testimony.
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