Does the Self-Administered Interview Protect against Misinformation?

Gathering reliable information from eyewitnesses is important for collecting accurate legal information and obtaining justice. However, previous research in eyewitness memory has found witnesses to be highly susceptible to... [ view full abstract ]

Gathering reliable information from eyewitnesses is important for collecting accurate legal information and obtaining justice. However, previous research in eyewitness memory has found witnesses to be highly susceptible to misleading information regarding the crime they witnessed, a phenomenon known as the misinformation effect. This study examines the efficacy of a booklet called the Self-Administered interview, a tool created to encourage witnesses to self-record a high-quality memory of the event at the scene, in protecting memory against subsequent exposure to misinformation. Previous research has found the Self-Administered Interview to be effective in reducing the misinformation effect, because it is based on principles of cognition known to reduce issues that lead to inaccurate memory. However, conflicting research has documented that initial testing after witnessing an event can increase susceptibility to misinformation. The goal of the present study is to determine why the Self-Administered Interview does not increase participants’ susceptibility to misinformation like other tests of memory, and whether there are conditions in which it might increase the misinformation effect as opposed to mitigating it. Results showed that participants who completed a Self-Administered Interview or other general memory test were more likely to report misinformation than those who did take an initial test.