The Role of Need for Cognitive Closure in Retrieval-Induced Forgetting and Misinformation Effects in Eyewitness Memory

Abstract

The present research examined the role of the need for cognitive closure (NfCC) in the phenomenon of retrieval-induced forgetting (i.e., the forgetting of non-retrieved information induced by selective retrieval) and in subsequent post-event misinformation effects (i.e., the tendency to recall misleading post-event information in preference to originally presented items). In three experiments, it was shown that NfCC augments retrieval-induced forgetting which in turn magnifies misinformation effects in eyewitness situations. Overall, the present work highlights the crucial role of motivation in retrieval-induced forgetting and discusses the implications this has for eyewitness research.