Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that the content of eyewitness recollections is affected by suggestions conveyed during questioning. For the present study, we took advantage of an unexpected occurrence in order to assess the extent to which these reported effects generalize from the recall of specific events viewed under controlled conditions to the recollection of personal characteristics observed naturalistically. After two weeks of teaching, a sudden disability made it impossible for an instructor to meet his classes; students were then questioned about his appearance by a replacement instructor. Questions were phrased either with an indefinite article or with a possessive pronoun which conveyed a false presupposition that the instructor possessed certain personal attributes. More incorrect and uncertain recollections were reported in response to questions containing false presuppositions than to questions phrased with an indefinite article. The results support and extend the existing literature on the suggestibility that characterizes eyewitness testimony.
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