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The aging eyewitness: effects of age on face, delay, and source-memory ability
Amina Memon1, James Bartlett, Rachel Rose
1Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland. amemon@abdn.ac.uk
Summary
Older witnesses show decreased accuracy in lineup identification tasks compared to younger witnesses, especially after a one-week delay. This decline is linked to difficulties in recalling the source of information, impacting eyewitness memory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Eyewitness Identification
- Aging and Memory
Background:
- Age-related differences in cognitive abilities can impact the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for the legal system and memory research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related variations in lineup identification accuracy.
- To examine the influence of perpetrator age and test delay on identification performance.
- To explore the role of source recollection in age-related memory deficits.
Main Methods:
- Young (16-33 years) and older (60-82 years) witnesses viewed videotaped incidents with young and older perpetrators.
- Participants completed lineup identification tasks after short (35 min) and long (1 week) delays.
- A separate face-recognition task assessed source recollection ability.
Main Results:
- Older witnesses were significantly less accurate than younger witnesses after a one-week delay.
- Older witnesses committed more false alarms, particularly with young faces, when the target was absent.
- Correct identifications correlated with source recollection; older witnesses performed poorly on this measure.
Conclusions:
- Age-related declines in source recollection contribute to reduced accuracy in delayed eyewitness identification for older adults.
- The findings highlight the vulnerability of older witnesses' memory accuracy over time and in specific lineup conditions.