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Absolut memory distortions: alcohol placebos influence the misinformation effect
Seema L Assefi1, Maryanne Garry
1Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
Psychological Science
|February 5, 2003
Summary
The suggestion of alcohol consumption, even with a placebo, increased susceptibility to misleading information and overconfidence in eyewitness memory. This highlights the impact of social cues on memory recall.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Alcohol consumption is known to affect social behaviors.
- Previous research has not established a link between alcohol placebos and memory.
- Eyewitness memory can be influenced by both social and nonsocial factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of alcohol placebos on eyewitness memory.
- To determine if the suggestion of alcohol consumption influences susceptibility to misleading information.
- To examine the impact of alcohol placebos on memory confidence.
Main Methods:
- Participants were given tonic water, with half falsely informed it was an alcoholic beverage (vodka and tonic).
- All participants engaged in an eyewitness memory experiment.
- Misleading postevent information was introduced to assess memory accuracy and confidence.
Main Results:
- Participants who believed they consumed alcohol were more influenced by misleading postevent information.
- The alcohol placebo group reported higher confidence in their memory accuracy.
- These findings suggest that the mere suggestion of alcohol impacts memory and confidence.
Conclusions:
- The psychological suggestion of alcohol consumption can significantly impair eyewitness memory accuracy.
- Alcohol placebos enhance susceptibility to misinformation and lead to inappropriate confidence.
- Eyewitness memory is demonstrably influenced by social factors and perceived alcohol intake.