Eyewitness memory of a supermarket robbery: a case study of accuracy and confidence after 3 months

Law and Human Behavior
Geralda OdinotPeter J van Koppen

Abstract

In this case study, 14 witnesses of an armed robbery were interviewed after 3 months. Security camera recordings were used to assess memory accuracy. Of all information that could be remembered about 84% was correct. Although accurately recalled information had a higher confidence level on average than inaccurately recalled information, the mean accuracy-confidence correlation was rather modest (0.38). These findings indicate that confidence is not a reliable predictor of accuracy. A higher level of self-reported, post-event thinking about the incident was associated with higher confidence levels, while a higher level of self-reported emotional impact was associated with greater accuracy. A potential source of (mis)information, a reconstruction of the robbery broadcasted on TV, did not alter the original memories of the witnesses.

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Citations

Aug 15, 2013·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Joyce W Lacy, Craig E L Stark
May 26, 2015·Neuropsychologia·Paul D MetzakTodd S Woodward
Jun 1, 2013·Memory·Henry L Roediger, K Andrew DeSoto
May 3, 2018·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Kimberley A WadeD Stephen Lindsay
May 3, 2018·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·John T WixtedRonald P Fisher
Apr 16, 2019·Frontiers in Psychology·Philip U GustafssonFredrik U Jönsson
Feb 10, 2017·Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications·Sarah E Stanley, Aaron S Benjamin

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