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"It was not mentioned": Improving responses to unanswerable questions using retrieval instructions
Ewa Skopicz-Radkiewicz1, Monika Derda1, Agnieszka Niedźwieńska1
1Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied
|May 4, 2023
Summary
This study shows that reminding people that questions can be unanswerable improves their responses to difficult questions. Awareness, not just memory training, helps avoid providing incorrect information.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Eyewitness Testimony
Background:
- Asking many questions can lead to speculation about unwitnessed details.
- Individuals may provide incorrect answers to unanswerable questions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate methods to improve responses to unanswerable questions.
- Examine the role of problem-solving and judgment processes.
- Determine if metacognitive enhancement underlies improved responding.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Compared retrieval training with increased reporting criteria.
- Experiment 2: Compared training with a response format change ensuring awareness of unanswerable questions.
Main Results:
- Retrieval training and increased reporting criteria had distinct effects.
- Metacognitive enhancement was not supported as the underlying mechanism for training.
- Training and response format change yielded similar improvements, highlighting the role of awareness.
Conclusions:
- Constant awareness that questions may be unanswerable is crucial for accurate responding.
- This awareness can be fostered through training or response format adjustments.
- Findings have practical implications for improving the reliability of eyewitness memory.
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