Scientists Develop New Tool To 'Freeze' Crime Scene Memories
from Inventors and Remarkable People (107 articles)
Scientists Develop New Tool To 'Freeze' Crime Scene Memories
Image Gallery ( 3 images )"Research has proven, for instance, that recalling an event before any substantial forgetting or memory loss has taken place means that the way the event is represented in memory is strengthened, making it easier to recall in future. In this way, an early recall attempt serves to protect or ‘freeze’ the memory against the course of natural forgetting. There is also some research to suggest that recalling only partial or brief outline information about an event or incident may in fact have a negative impact on ability to recall the incident more fully at a later stage."
Dr Hope said using the techniques of the cognitive interview, and providing instructions to think carefully about the witnessing environment and report everything no matter how insignificant without resorting to guesswork, the SAI supports the witness in both the recall and reporting of as much information as possible before that information has been lost.
In the first test of the SAI, mock witnesses (comprising a sample of community volunteers of all ages and background) viewed a simulated event and were required to report, in writing, as much as they could about what they had seen.
“Witnesses in the sample who were required to complete the SAI tool reported statistically significantly more correct details than those participants who were simply asked to report what they had seen,” said Dr Hope
“Importantly, witnesses who completed the SAI produced the same amount of correct (and incorrect) information as participants who were given a full cognitive interview by a trained interviewer shortly after the event.
“Interestingly, the benefits of witnesses recording their recall of the event using the SAI were especially evident in their enhanced recall of person-related details. In other words, witnesses using the tool to record their memory produced more detailed and correct information pertaining to people they had witnessed in the incident.
“The reporting tool, known as a Self-Administered Interview (SAI), draws on the core principles of the cognitive interview which has been shown to facilitate witness recall and is a recommended interviewing technique.
“Since its original conception by Fisher and Geiselman, the cognitive interview has been closely scrutinised in both laboratory experiments and in police practice and the technique has been improved by several revisions.
