错误记忆是指回忆或再认出没有学过的项目。错误记忆研究常使用Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM)范式，即当学习一系列语义相关词后(例如：做梦、叫醒、床铺等)，有些个体会把一些未见但语义相关的诱饵词(例如：睡觉)判为学过，这称为DRM词语错误记忆。本研究采用行为及脑成像技术，使用DRM研究范式，探究青少年、青年成人以及老年人错误记忆特点。 研究一使用行为实验，探究青少年及青年成人词语与图片错误记忆特点。以往错误记忆发展研究多关注小学儿童和老人，较少研究青少年。与成人相比，青少年处于记忆发展的重要阶段，所以，有必要比较青少年错误记忆与成人的异同。此外，以往研究多采用词语作为学习材料，并未探索词语与图片错误记忆的异同。因此，当前研究采用两种任务考察了42名15-17岁中学生和40名19-26岁大学生的词语与图片真实和错误记忆，比较了不同年龄个体不同类型错误记忆的异同。结果发现：在词语与图片任务中，青少年与青年成人校正后错误再认均没有年龄差异，但是青少年比青年成人产生更多的校正后高信心度错误再认。 研究二使用行为实验与脑成像技术研究青年成人及老年人DRM词语错误记忆特点。根据模糊痕迹理论，成年中后期随年龄增长而字面痕迹记忆下降，要旨痕迹记忆基本维持不变。以往研究表明，成年中后期随年龄增长而真实记忆减少，但错误记忆是否增加仍存在争议。当前研究考察了19名健康老年人(54-74岁)和19名青年成人(19-25岁)两个年龄组个体真实与错误记忆的异同。结果发现：对于校正后指标，与青年成人相比，老年人真实再认较少，错误再认与之无显著差异。脑成像结果发现：老年人在对诱饵词的监控过程中额叶激活减弱。此外，老年人和青年人的真实记忆共同激活了左侧额下回、左侧角回和右侧枕叶距状皮层；错误记忆共同激活了左侧舌回。 综上，本研究发现(1)在词语与图片范式下，青少年与青年成人相比，青少年具有较多的高信心度错误再认，这可能是因为青少年监控机制发育未完善导致其更容易产生高信心度错误再认。(2)与青年人相比，老年人辨别真实与错误再认能力下降，脑成像结果显示，老年人在对诱饵词的监控过程中额叶激活减弱。

False memory refers to the recall or recognition of unstudied but semantic-related items. False memory research often use the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) paradigm. After learning a list of semantic related words like dream, bed, and awake, some people claimed that they saw an unstudied semantic-related lure “sleep” (i.e., false memory). In this study, behavioral and brain imaging techniques were used to explore the developmental characteristics of false memory in teenagers, young and older adults. In study 1, we investigated word and picture false memory in teenagers and young adults using behavioral experiments. Previous false memory developmental studies mainly focused on the primary school children and older adults, rather than teenagers. Compared with young adults, the memory system of teenagers is immature. Thus, it is necessary to compare the false memory in teenagers and young adults. Moreover, previous false memory studies usually use words as study materials, but they did not explore the similarity or difference between false memory for words and pictures. Therefore, the current study examined the false memory for words and pictures in teenagers (42 subjects, age: 15-17) and young adults (40 subjects, age: 19-26). Results showed that there was no difference on the corrected false recognition for words and pictures between teenagers and young adults, but teenagers produced more high confident corrected false recognition than young adults. In study 2, we investigated DRM false memory in young and older adults by behavioral and brain imaging techniques. According to the fuzzy trace theory, from early to late adulthood, verbatim memory declines, while gist memory remains stable. Previous studies have shown that true memory decreases with age in the late adulthood, but there is still controversy about whether false memory would be increased. The current study examined the word false memory in young adults (19 subjects, age: 19-25) and older adults (19 subjects, age: 54-74). Results showed that, as compared with young adults, older adults had fewer corrected true recognition, but similar level of corrected false recognition. Compared with young adults, older adults had weaker activations in prefrontal cortex during monitoring process. Based on the conjunction analysis of older and younger adults, true memory was associated with the activation of the left inferior frontal gyrus, left angular gyrus, and right intracalcarine cortex; and false memory was associated with the activation of left lingual gyrus in both group. In summary, this study found that (1) compared with young adults, the immature monitoring process of teenagers makes them more likely to have high confidence corrected false recognition; (2) compared with young adults, the monitoring ability of older adults have difficulties in the process of monitoring.