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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: 2025-11-04Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Testifying in a non-native language as an eyewitness undermines credibility judgments but not reliability
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Testifying in a non-native language as an eyewitness undermines credibility judgments but not reliability
2025 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Eyewitness testimony plays a critical role in legal proceedings. Yet, its usefulness hinges on both the reliability of the information from the witness, and how that information is perceived. When eyewitnesses testify in a non-native language, language barriers may shape not only what is communicated but also how their testimony is interpreted and judged. This thesis investigates whether testifying in a non-native versus native language affects the reliability and perceived credibility of honestly reported eyewitness testimonies. Across three empirical studies, I examined how language influences memory accuracy, suggestibility, the confidence-accuracy relation, observer-rated credibility, investigative questioning practices, and non-verbal behavior. Study I comprised two experiments. In Study Ia (N = 121), mock eyewitnesses provided testimony in either a non-native (English; n = 61) or their native (Swedish; n = 60) language after viewing a mock-crime video. Testimonies accuracy and suggestibility were measured, and the confidence-accuracy relation computed. Witnesses also rated their own credibility and cognitive effort when giving the testimony. No differences emerged between witness groups in accuracy, suggestibility, cognitive effort, or self-rated credibility. However, in line with the confidence-accuracy relation, witnesses were more confident overall in correct than incorrect details. Importantly, non-native speakers reported significantly lower confidence than native speakers, despite being equally accurate. In Study Ib (N = 202), mock interrogators were randomly assigned to assess either a non-native or native video-recorded testimony for credibility and to formulate follow-up interrogation questions. The interrogators judged non-native speakers as less credible than native speakers. Study II examined the interrogation questions (N = 806) formulated in Study Ib with respect to how leading, doubt-casting, and open-ended they were. No differences emerged in the types of questions posed to non-native versus native speakers. However, when interrogators perceived a witness as more credible, they posed fewer questions casting doubt, but this effect was only observed for native-speaking witnesses. Study III examined whether the presence (vs. absence) of a set of predefined non-verbal cues predicted the accuracy of 680 statements, witnesses’ self-reported confidence, and observer-rated credibility. None of the cues reliably predicted these outcomes, challenging assumptions about the diagnostic value of non-verbal cues in legal contexts. Together, this thesis provides converging evidence that language barriers can introduce bias in how eyewitness testimony is received and acted upon, not due to differences in testimony reliability, but due to how the testimonies are perceived in terms of credibility. The findings underscore the need for legal systems to better account for challenges placed on non-native speakers and to adopt practices that promote more fair credibility assessments.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, 2025. p. 65
Keywords
eyewitness testimony, non-native speakers, memory accuracy, suggestibility, confidence-accuracy, investigative interviews, non-verbal cues, perceived credibility
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-249101 (URN)978-91-8107-416-1 (ISBN)978-91-8107-417-8 (ISBN)
Public defence
2025-12-19, Lecture Hall 3, Albanovägen 22, Stockholm, 10:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2019-03296
Available from: 2025-11-26 Created: 2025-11-04 Last updated: 2025-11-11Bibliographically approved

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Lindholm, TorunGustafsson, Philip U.Alm, Charlotte

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