The use of source memory to identify one's own episodic confusion errors

In 4 category cued recall experiments, participants falsely recalled nonlis t common members, a semantic confusion error. Errors were more likely if cr itical nonlist words were presented on an incidental task, causing source m emory failures called episodic confusion errors. Participants could better identify the source of falsely recalled words if they had deeply processed the words on the incidental task. For deep but not shallow processing, part icipants could reliably include or exclude incidentally shown category memb ers in recall. The illusion that critical items actually appeared on catego rized lists was diminished but not eradicated when participants identified episodic confusion errors post hoc among their own recalled responses; part icipants often believed that critical items had been on both the incidental task and the study list. Improved source monitoring can potentially mitiga te episodic (but not semantic) confusion errors.