The effects of pressure to report more details on memories of an eyewitness event

The confidence with which an eyewitness recalls a memory is positively corr elated with the likelihood that the jurors will believe that memory. In add ition, the United States judiciary recognises confidence as a key factor in determining the accuracy of eyewitness reports. Although the effects of ty pe of questioning on the accuracy of eyewitness memories are fairly well kn own, little is known about the effect of questioning on subjective confiden ce-or the relationship between confidence and accuracy. Participants in the present study witnessed a staged even and were questioned up to five times about that event. Some participants were pressured to report more details, whereas others were not. Results of this paper are powerful and clear; pre ssuring participants to report more details increased the number of accurat e and inaccurate statements. However, pressuring participants to report mor e details did not change the predictive accuracy of their confidence judgem ents.