Do cognitive abilities reduce eyewitness susceptibility to the misinformation effect? A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Eyewitness testimony is crucial in legal proceedings but vulnerable to the misinformation effect, where post-event information distorts memory.
• The reconstructive nature of episodic memory contributes to this distortion, raising concerns about evidence dependability.
• Individual differences in cognitive abilities may influence susceptibility to misinformation, suggesting non-episodic memory mechanisms are involved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize research on the association between individual differences in cognitive abilities and susceptibility to the misinformation effect in adults.
• To identify specific cognitive abilities that may protect against memory distortions in eyewitnesses.

Main Methods:

• A narrative synthesis of nine eligible studies was conducted.
• Twenty-three distinct associations between cognitive abilities and misinformation susceptibility were analyzed.
• The review focused on adults aged 18 and over.

Main Results:

• Three categories of cognitive abilities were found to influence misinformation susceptibility: general intelligence and reasoning, perceptual abilities, and memory abilities.
• Higher levels in these cognitive abilities were generally associated with reduced susceptibility to misinformation.
• No single cognitive trait conferred complete immunity, but several abilities explained individual differences in susceptibility.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive abilities significantly modulate an individual's vulnerability to the misinformation effect in eyewitness memory.
• General intelligence, reasoning, perceptual, and memory abilities appear to offer protective benefits against memory distortions.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanisms by which these cognitive abilities mitigate misinformation effects, such as improved encoding, discrepancy detection, and source monitoring.