THE EFFECTS OF DISCUSSION ON EYEWITNESS MEMORY

This study investigated the effects of witness discussion on the accur acy of recall and misidentifications in eyewitness memory. Dyadic grou ps who discussed the crime and dyads who made joint memorial decisions about the incident were more accurate in recall than were dyads who d iscussed noncriminal matters, and a no-discussion group. Collaborative dyads giving joint decisions also were significantly more accurate th an were the other groups in rejection of the culprit-absent lineup. Th e sequential lineup method proved superior to the simultaneous method, regardless of whether or not witnesses discussed the crime prior to i dentification. It was concluded that discussion and joint decision mak ing by 2 eyewitnesses can improve both eyewitness recall and minimize false identifications in some circumstances.