Enhancing individual and collaborative eyewitness memory with category clustering recall

Thorley, Craig (2018) Enhancing individual and collaborative eyewitness memory with category clustering recall. Memory, 26 (8). pp. 1128-1139.

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Abstract

Most crimes have multiple eyewitnesses. The police typically interview co-witnesses separately. In time sensitive investigations, this could slow down evidence accumulation. Having co-witnesses collaboratively recall a crime could potentially expedite evidence accumulation. However, past research shows collaborative group members often have conflicting retrieval strategies that disrupt each other, degrading overall recall. This cost could potentially be overcome by aligning group members’ retrieval strategies with Category Clustering Recall (CCR), which is a retrieval strategy where information is recalled from a series of forensically relevant categories (e.g., recalling the protagonists' appearance, then actions). This study examined the costs and benefits of collaborative eyewitness memory by having collaborative pairs of strangers, nominal pairs (i.e., two individuals whose recall is pooled) and lone individuals watch a crime and recall it using free recall or CCR. The collaborative pairs recalled the crime faster than the nominal pairs. They also recalled more correct information than individuals but less than nominal pairs, irrespective of the retrieval method. There is therefore a speed-recall completeness trade-off when collaborative groups recall crimes. Importantly, all participants recalled more correct information when using CCR. This provides initial evidence suggesting CCR is superior to free recall. Further research examining CCR's benefits is recommended.

Item ID: 52119
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1464-0686
Keywords: collaborative memory, eyewitness memory, category clustering recall, collaborative inhibition, retrieval strategy disruption
Date Deposited: 20 Apr 2018 00:03
FoR Codes: 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology > 520401 Cognition @ 50%
52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology > 520404 Memory and attention @ 50%
SEO Codes: 94 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 9404 Justice and the Law > 940404 Law Enforcement @ 50%
97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970117 Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences @ 50%
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