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Memory accuracy, suggestibility and credibility in investigative interviews with native and non-native eyewitnesses
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology.
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8867-5752
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4249-5887
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9116-4777
2023 (English)In: Frontiers in Psychology, E-ISSN 1664-1078, Vol. 14, article id 1240822Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Legal practitioners sometimes obtain eyewitness testimonies from non-native language speakers, yet few studies examine the effects of language in investigative interviews. Here, we investigate how testifying in a non-native vs. native language affects memory accuracy, susceptibility to suggestions, and witnesses perceived credibility. After viewing a mock-crime film, participants in Study 1 (N = 121) testified through (1) free recall, (2) cued recall and (3) the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales adapted to the crime scenario used in the present study either in their native (Swedish) or a non-native (English) language. They also rated their confidence in their memories, self-perceived credibility and cognitive effort. Native and non-native witnesses did not differ in memory accuracy, susceptibility to suggestions, self-rated credibility or cognitive effort. Non-native (vs. native) speakers did however report lower confidence in their memories. In Study 2, another group of participants (N = 202) were presented with the testimonies from Study 1, and judged witnesses' credibility. Non-native witnesses were judged as less credible than native speakers. Thus, while the lower confidence exhibited by non-native eyewitnesses did not correspond to their actual memory accuracy, it influenced observers' judgments of their performance. The results provide important knowledge for legal practices when evaluating the reliability of testimonies from non-native vs. native speaking eyewitnesses.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023. Vol. 14, article id 1240822
Keywords [en]
investigative interview, confidence-accuracy relationship, memory accuracy, suggestibility, credibility judgment, language barrier, non-native speaker
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-221743DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1240822ISI: 001059795600001PubMedID: 37691785Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85170268714OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-221743DiVA, id: diva2:1800817
Available from: 2023-09-28 Created: 2023-09-28 Last updated: 2024-01-13Bibliographically approved

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Lindholm, TorunGustafsson, Philip U.Alm, Charlotte

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