Protecting against misinformation: Evaluating the effectiveness of three techniques to reduce memory conformity

StatusPost-Print
Alternative title
Authors
Kękuś, Magdalena
Dziubańska, Regina
Michalak, Kacper
Polczyk, Romuald
Szpitalak, Malwina
Barzykowski, Krystian
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Date
2024-05-23
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British Journal of Psychology
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Volume
Pages
Pages
1-27
ISSN
0007-1269
2044-8295
ISSN of series
Access date
2024-08-26
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
The memory conformity effect occurs when people witness a given incident (e.g. a crime) then talk to each other about it, and the statement of one person affects the memory account of the other person with respect to this incident. The aim of this article is to improve the quality of witness testimony by verifying the effectiveness of three methods that aim to reduce memory conformity effect: (1) an extended warning against misinformation; (2) a method based on information about memory functioning and its fallibility and (3) a method consisting in motivating participants to resist influence and demonstrating their individual vulnerability to it. In the presented experiment, the innovative MORI technique was used to study the memory conformity effect. This technique allows a pair of participants to sit beside each other, look at the same screen and see a different version of the same criminal event. In the next stages, the subjects are asked to answer a series of questions about different details, thereby introducing mutual misinformation; then, the participants perform an individual memory test. In the experimental conditions, this test was preceded by one of the three tested methods in each group, with the aim of determining their effectiveness in reducing memory conformity. It turns out that the implementation of an extended warning against misinformation eliminated the memory conformity effect, while the application of two other methods led to a reduction (but not complete elimination) of the studied phenomenon.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
co- witness discussion
eyewitness memory
memory conformity
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Acquisition Date5.10.2024
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