Abstract
SummaryEyewitnesses to crimes are regularly under the influence of drugs, such as cannabis. Yet there is very little research on how the use of cannabis affects eyewitness memory. In the present study, we assessed the effects of cannabis on eyewitness recall and lineup identification performance in a field setting. One hundred twenty visitors of coffee shops in Amsterdam viewed a videotaped criminal event, were interviewed about the event, and viewed a target‐present or target‐absent lineup. Witnesses under the influence of cannabis remembered significantly fewer correct details about the witnessed event than did sober witnesses, with no difference in incorrect recall. Cannabis use was not significantly associated with lineup identification performance, but intoxicated witnesses were significantly better at judging whether their lineup identification was accurate. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Highlights
IntroductionBecause eyewitness evidence is so important, a large body of research has investigated the many potential factors that may affect eyewitness memory
The present paper describes a field experiment investigating the influence of cannabis intoxication on eyewitness statements about a criminal incident and lineup identification
We recorded the number of grams of cannabis used—when participants indicated the number of joints smoked instead of the number of grams, we converted joints into grams on the basis of an average of 0.3 g of cannabis per joint
Summary
Because eyewitness evidence is so important, a large body of research has investigated the many potential factors that may affect eyewitness memory. One such factor is witness intoxication during the crime. Eyewitnesses are frequently under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs while witnessing a crime (Evans, Compo, & Russano, 2009; Palmer, Flowe, Takarangi, & Humphries, 2013). A reasonable number of studies have assessed the effect of the most prevalent form of intoxication, alcohol inebriation, on eyewitness memory (see, e.g., Crossland, Kneller, & Wilcock, 2016; Hagsand, Roos af Hjelmsäter, Granhag, Fahlke, & Söderpalm Gordh, 2017; La Rooy, Nicol, & Terry, 2013; Schreiber Compo et al, 2017), research on other types of drugs in eyewitness settings is rare. The present paper describes a field experiment investigating the influence of cannabis intoxication on eyewitness statements about a criminal incident and lineup identification
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