How can we help witnesses to remember more? It's an (eyes) open and shut case.
Five experiments tested the idea that instructing a witness to close their eyes during retrieval might increase retrieval success. In Experiment 1 participants watched a video, before a cued-recall test for which they were either instructed to close their eyes, or received no-instructions. Eye-closure led to an increase in correct cued-recall, with no increase in incorrect responses. Experiments 2-5 sought to test the generality of this effect over variations in study material (video or live interaction), test format (cued- or free-recall) and information modality (visual or auditory details recalled). Overall, eye-closure increased recall of both visual detail and auditory details, with no accompanying increase in recall of false details. Collectively, these data convincingly demonstrate the benefits of eye-closure as an aid to retrieval, and offer insight into why hypnosis, which usually involves eye-closure, may facilitate eyewitness recall.
Perfect
Timothy J
TJ
School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, UK. tperfect@plymouth.ac.uk
Wagstaff
Graham F
GF
Moore
Dawn
D
Andrews
Blake
B
Cleveland
Victoria
V
Newcombe
Sarah
S
Brisbane
Kelly-Ann
KA
Brown
Leanne
L
D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D014785:Vision, Ocular