LOST BUT NOT FORGOTTEN DETAILS - REPEATED EYEWITNESS RECALL LEADS TO REMINISCENCE BUT NOT HYPERMNESIA

In 2 experiments, the effects on participants' memory and confidence o f repeatedly describing a videotaped crime and of the opportunity to r eview a previous description were investigated. E. Scrivner and M. A. Safer (1988) demonstrated that witnesses' successive attempts to descr ibe such events can lead to the recall of more new information in comp arison with the amount forgotten (i.e., increased net recall, or hyper mnesia). In Experiment I, a more forensically relevant procedure was u sed, and no support for hypermnesia was found. Witnesses did recall si gnificantly more new information across attempts, but the amount did n ot exceed how much was forgotten (i.e., increased gross recall, or rem iniscence). The opportunity to review a previous statement had no effe ct on the number of items recalled. In Experiment 2, the more traditio nal, repeated-recall procedure used by Scrivner and Safer was applied, and their finding of hypermnesia was replicated with the present stud y's materials.