Effects of perceptual load on eyewitness memory are moderated by individual differences in cognitive ability

Previous research has identified perceptual load - the amount of perceptual processing required by a scene - as a potentially important factor in eyewitness memory. Here, we investigated whether effects of perceptual load on eyewitness memory for a simulated crime are moderated by individual differe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Memory (Hove) 2020-04, Vol.28 (4), p.450-460
Main Authors: Greene, Ciara M., Maloney-Derham, Ruth, Mulligan, Kirsty
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
analytical reasoning
Cognition & reasoning
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive ability
Communication
Crime
Expert Testimony
eyewitness memory
False information
Female
Humans
individual differences
Individuality
Language
Male
Memory
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Mental Recall
Misinformation
perceptual load
Psychological Tests
Short term memory
Videotape Recording
Witnesses
working memory capacity
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Summary:Previous research has identified perceptual load - the amount of perceptual processing required by a scene - as a potentially important factor in eyewitness memory. Here, we investigated whether effects of perceptual load on eyewitness memory for a simulated crime are moderated by individual differences in cognitive ability. We presented participants with a video of a simulated crime that imposed either high or low perceptual load, followed by a written narrative which contained a mixture of neutral and misleading descriptions of critical details. We examined the effects of three cognitive variables (working memory capacity, verbal cognitive ability and analytical reasoning) on participants' ability to accurately recall details of the video in both the misinformation and control conditions, and to detect a change in the clothing of a main character. General cognitive ability was associated with improved global memory for details of the event, and enhanced change detection under load. Greater WM capacity and a tendency towards analytical reasoning were both associated with resistance to misinformation under conditions of high perceptual load. We conclude that higher levels of cognitive ability, assessed across a number of domains, may enable eyewitnesses to withstand the effects of perceptual load and preserve the accuracy of their memories.
ISSN:0965-8211
1464-0686
DOI:10.1080/09658211.2020.1729811