Abstract
RationaleCo-witness discussion is common and often witnesses are under the influence of alcohol. As such, it is important to understand how such factors may influence eyewitness testimony.ObjectivesWe combined a co-witness memory paradigm with an alcohol administration paradigm to examine the influence of alcohol and dyadic discussion on remembering a mock crime.MethodsIntoxicated and sober dyads discussed a previously seen video, whilst in a control condition sober and intoxicated individuals recalled the event on their own. Unknown to the dyads, each discussion partner saw a different version of the video including unique details not present in the other video version. All participants then engaged in a second individual recall attempt.ResultsDyads were more likely to recall misleading details in their individual recall attempts compared to the control group. Intoxicated and sober dyads were equally likely to report misleading information. Alcohol intoxication had no negative impact on individuals’ ability to correctly identify the source of their responses. Intoxicated participants recalled fewer details under free recall conditions. Alcohol had a detrimental effect on participants’ confidence in their free recall accounts.ConclusionsPossible alcohol-related and social-cognitive mechanisms are discussed which may contribute to the current findings as well as applied implications for interviewing intoxicated witnesses.
Highlights
The current study investigated the effect of alcohol intoxication and witness discussion on memory conformity
The finding that alcohol does not increase the susceptibility to misinformation is in line with previous research (Schreiber Compo et al 2012; Flowe et al 2019). We extend this finding by demonstrating that this effect still applies when misinformation is presented via a dyadic discussion where both partners are intoxicated
Contrary to the perceptions of laypeople (Benton et al 2006; Wenger and Bornstein 2006) and professionals working within the criminal justice system (Crossland et al 2018; Evans et al 2009; Kassin et al 2001), our findings suggest that mild to moderate alcohol intoxication does not make individuals more susceptible to incorporate misleading information obtained from a co-witness
Summary
We combined a co-witness memory paradigm with an alcohol administration paradigm to examine the influence of alcohol and dyadic discussion on remembering a mock crime
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