Abstract
In the legal system, inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts are often used to discredit witnesses’ credibility. This is at odds with research findings showing that witnesses frequently report reminiscent details (details previously unrecalled) at an accuracy rate that is nearly as high as for consistently recalled information. The present study sought to put the validity of beliefs about recall consistency to a test by directly comparing them with actual memory performance in two recall attempts. All participants watched a film of a staged theft. Subsequently, the memory group (N = 84) provided one statement immediately after the film (either with the Self-Administered Interview or free recall) and one after a one-week delay. The estimation group (N = 81) consisting of experienced police detectives estimated the recall performance of the memory group. The results showed that actual recall performance was consistently underestimated. Also, a sharp decline of memory performance between recall attempts was assumed by the estimation group whereas actual accuracy remained stable. While reminiscent details were almost as accurate as consistent details, they were estimated to be much less accurate than consistent information and as inaccurate as direct contradictions. The police detectives expressed a great concern that reminiscence was the result of suggestive external influences. In conclusion, it seems that experienced police detectives hold many implicit beliefs about recall consistency that do not correspond with actual recall performance. Recommendations for police trainings are provided. These aim at fostering a differentiated view on eyewitness performance and the inclusion of more comprehensive classes on human memory structure.
Highlights
Imagine a witness who is interviewed by the police at the crime scene
A second group of participants who had seen the film estimated the recall performance of the memory group. This estimation group assumed that overall recall accuracy would decline over time and that the accuracy of reminiscent details would be lower than the accuracy of consistent and forgotten details
For the estimations, we relied on an ecologically valid sample of police detectives who had on average 19 years of work experience and 13 years of investigative interviewing experience. Their estimates were compared to the recall performance of police students who only recently started their career at the police and are unlikely to differ from non-police witnesses
Summary
Imagine a witness who is interviewed by the police at the crime scene. He describes the perpetrator as middle-aged, slim, brown-haired, and wearing jeans. A second group of participants who had seen the film estimated the recall performance of the memory group This estimation group assumed that overall recall accuracy would decline over time and that the accuracy of reminiscent details would be lower than the accuracy of consistent and forgotten details. Knowledge about these reasons could serve as the starting point to revise the content of police training courses so as to increase knowledge on the principles of human memory and to reduce potential bias against reminiscence It was the aim of the present study to test the beliefs regarding recall performance over time and consistency of recall that are summarized in the courtroom approach of memory [17] and to test whether experienced police detectives hold these beliefs. It was hypothesized that the proportion of consistent and forgotten details should be overestimated, and the proportion of reminiscent and contradictory details underestimated
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