Repeated testing in eyewitness memory: a means to improve recall of a negative emotional event

Bornstein, Brian H.; Liebel, Lesley M.; Scarberry, Nikki C.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-0720(199804)12:2<119::aid-acp500>3.0.co;2-4

Cited by 90 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The results from past work, however, have provided inconsistent support for this thesis. Specifically, some studies show that arousal decreases the accuracy of eyewitness identifications (Deffenbacher et al, 2004;Stanny & Johnson, 2000), whereas others suggest that arousal may enhance memory performance (Bornstein, Liebel, & Scarberry, 1998).…”

Section: Estimator Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crime Type, Perceived Stereotypicality, and Memory Biases: A Contextual Model of Eyewitness Identification

Osborne

Davies

2014

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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The fallibility of eyewitness identifications is well documented. Nevertheless, research has yet to assess the possibility that the type of crime committed systematically influences who eyewitnesses mistakenly identify. We address this oversight by presenting a contextual model of eyewitness identification (CMEI). The CMEI asserts that discrete crimes automatically activate distinct stereotypes about a perpetrator's appearance. Depending on the congruence between these stereotypes and the perpetrator's actual appearance, eyewitnesses will remember the perpetrator as appearing more (or less) representative of his or her group (i.e., higher or lower on perceived stereotypicality). Estimator and system variables are posited to affect identifications at different stages of the identification process. The literatures on stereotype activation, perceived stereotypicality, and stereotype-consistent memory biases are reviewed to support the CMEI. Our conceptual integration provides a model of eyewitness identification that explains when mistaken identifications are likely to occur and who they are likely to affect. ). Although this literature has done an excellent job of documenting when errors in eyewitness identification are likely to occur, little is known about whether the type of crime committed (i.e., the crime type) systematically affects who eyewitnesses mistakenly identify. In the current paper, we argue that focusing on the crime type can help explain why eyewitnesses choose one innocent suspect over another from a police line-up. To advance this thesis, we provide an integration of the literatures on (i) the automaticity of stereotype activation, (ii) perceived stereotypicality, and (iii) stereotypeconsistent memory biases. In doing so, we develop a contextual model of eyewitness identification (CMEI). After showing how these respective literatures support the CMEI, we review recent studies that directly test our model. We conclude by discussing the generalizability of the CMEI and examining the implications our synthesis has for the identification process.

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Section: Estimator Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crime Type, Perceived Stereotypicality, and Memory Biases: A Contextual Model of Eyewitness Identification

Osborne

Davies

2014

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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“…More specifically, the same discrete details reliably identified by Bornstein et al (1998) in each version of the film were used to code participants' responses. There were 45 details in the arousing version and 43 details in the neutral condition.…”

Section: Coding and Preliminary Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sequence of events in arousing and neutral clip versions for Experiment 2 (Bornstein et al, 1998) Beginning segment -both versions (18 details) 1. Occurred during the day 2.…”

Section: Appendix Bmentioning

confidence: 99%

Memory for emotionally arousing events over time in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Maras

Gaigg²,

Bowler³

2012

Emotion

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This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. In press with Emotion Permanent repository link:Memory for arousing events in ASD 2 AbstractEmotionally arousing events are typically better remembered and more resistant to forgetting than neutral events. Findings from word list paradigms suggest that this may not hold for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who also tend to be less accurate as eyewitnesses under some circumstances. To test whether attenuated effects of arousal on memory may be responsible for poorer eyewitness testimonies in ASD, we asked adults with and without the disorder to view either arousing or neutral versions of a narrated slide sequence (Experiment 1) or video clip (Experiment 2) before assessing their memory for the material. Both groups exhibited increases in psychophysiological arousal during the arousing as compared to the neutral version of the narratives, and both groups also demonstrated a memory advantage for the arousing events. Contrary to predictions, these observations indicate that stimulus induced arousal modulates memory for naturalistic events relatively typically in ASD. It is now well established that emotionally arousing events are better remembered and less likely forgotten than equivalent neutral events (e.g. Bornstein, Liebel, & Scarberry, 1998;Christianson & Loftus, 1991;Christianson, 1992; Heuer & Resiberg, 1990). Witnessed criminal events are often emotionally arousing, and witnesses can be asked by the police and other legal officials to recall what they have seen on a number of occasions, ranging from immediately after witnessing the event to days, months, or even years later. Maras and Bowler (2010) recently found that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were significantly less accurate in their eyewitness reports for a negative emotional event than comparison individuals when interviewed with a Cognitive Interview (Fisher & Geiselman, 1992). Here we ask whether the inaccuracies in eyewitness reports in ASD may be the result of abnormalities in how the emotional nature of criminal events modulates memory in this disorder.Autism Spectrum Disorder is a set of pervasive developmental conditions that are clinically defined by abnormalities in reciprocal social and communicative behaviours and an inflexible adherence to routinised patterns of thought and behaviour (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). ASD affects approximately 1% of the population but a number of risk factors indicate that individuals with ASD may be over-represented within the Criminal Justice System either as witnesses or victims of crime (Hare, Gould, Mills & Wing, 1999;Petersilia, 2001). For example their diminished insight into what others are thinking can lead to exploitation by others (Howlin, 1997) and their repetitive and stereotyped interests can lead them to frequent places (e.g. train stations) where crimes are more common (Allen, Evans, Hider, Hawkins, Peckett & Morgan, 2008). This lit...

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“…A number of studies have shown that arousing stimuli can interfere with memory for spatially or temporally nearby neutral items (Bornstein, Liebel, & Scarberry, 1998;Detterman & Ellis, 1972;Ellis et al, 1971;Erdelyi & Blumenthal, 1973;Hadley & MacKay, 2006;Hurlemann et al, 2005;Johnson et al, 2005;MacKay et al, 2004;Miu, Heilman, Opre, & Miclea, 2005;Runcie & O'Bannon, 1977;Schmidt, 2002;Strange, Hurlemann, & Dolan, 2003). Although some of these studies used very rapid presentation, item memory impairment for temporally adjacent items also has been found with up to three or four seconds between the arousing and neutral items (Detterman & Ellis, 1972;Hurlemann et al, 2005;Runcie & O'Bannon, 1977) and sometimes even for items appearing six seconds after an arousing item (Schmidt, 2002).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Arousal-enhanced location memory for pictures

Mather

Nesmith

2008

Journal of Memory and Language

128

145

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Four experiments revealed arousal-enhanced location memory for pictures. After an incidental encoding task, participants were more likely to remember the locations of positive and negative arousing pictures than the locations of non-arousing pictures, indicating better binding of location to picture. This arousal-enhanced binding effect did not have a cost for the binding of nearby pictures to their locations. Thus, arousal can enhance binding of an arousing picture's content to its location without interfering with picture-location binding for nearby pictures. In addition, arousal-enhanced picture-location memory binding is not just a side effect of enhanced memory for the picture itself, as it occurs both when recognition memory is good and when it is poor. Keywords memory binding; arousal; emotion; location; interference Emotionally arousing events are more likely to be recalled later than non-arousing events. This emotional memory enhancement has been demonstrated in many lab studies using stimuli such as pictures and words (

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Repeated testing in eyewitness memory: a means to improve recall of a negative emotional event

Cited by 90 publications

References 28 publications

Crime Type, Perceived Stereotypicality, and Memory Biases: A Contextual Model of Eyewitness Identification

Crime Type, Perceived Stereotypicality, and Memory Biases: A Contextual Model of Eyewitness Identification

Memory for emotionally arousing events over time in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Arousal-enhanced location memory for pictures

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