Can authority figures manipulate your memories?

This study was designed to investigate whether authority figures have a greater effect on memory than individuals with lower authority. A total of 78 participants were divided into two groups, where they memorised coloured objects before listening to audio recordings from either a teacher or a student who recounted the objects and colours with some errors. The results showed no significant difference in the number of changes between the group that listened to the teacher and the group that listened to the student, however, higher differences were found between genders. This research can contribute to insight about gender dynamics, providing information about how girls to a higher degree than boys tend to trust authority figures more than their own memory. For future studies, it may be useful to test students individually and adjust the number of objects to better assess the effect of authority figures on memory.