The effects of varied retrieval cues on reminiscence in eyewitness memory
It is not uncommon for eyewitnesses to recall things at later interviews that were not recalled at previous interviews (reminiscence). Many legal decision makers assume that inconsistent eyewitnesses are necessarily inaccurate witnesses. Consequently, their testimony may be prematurely discredited o...
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| Format: | Others |
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FIU Digital Commons
2004
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| Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3936 https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5361&context=etd |
| Summary: | It is not uncommon for eyewitnesses to recall things at later interviews that were not recalled at previous interviews (reminiscence). Many legal decision makers assume that inconsistent eyewitnesses are necessarily inaccurate witnesses. Consequently, their testimony may be prematurely discredited or dismissed. In order to examine the effectiveness of various retrieval cues in eliciting reminiscence, participants watched a videotaped mock crime and were tested for recall on two occasions using the same or different cues. Results supported the hypothesis that varying retrieval cues increases the amount of reminiscence. Furthermore, all participants exhibited some reminiscence. Finally, reminiscence was not significantly correlated with overall accuracy of testimony. These findings suggest that many of the assumptions legal decision makers hold regarding inconsistent testimony are erroneous. |
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