Memory characteristics of recently imagined events and real events experienced previously

In two experiments, we evaluated the memory characteristics of real and ima gined events as they changed over time. Memories of real events were richer than memories of imagined events, and memories of recent events were riche r than of events from a week earlier. These differences interacted such tha t memories of real events performed in week 1 were very similar to memories of events that were imagined in week 2. Source monitoring was tested and i mplications for the repressed or recovered memory debate are considered.