Reaction time and assessments of cognitive effort as predictors of eyewitness memory accuracy and confidence

The authors investigate reaction time, subjective assessments of memory processing, and confidence as predictors of memory for the details of a crime. The authors also examine the mediation of a previously identified difference between recognition tasks and recall tasks in the correlation between confidence and accuracy. College undergraduates (n = 111) answered either recognition or recall questions. Reaction time and subjective assessments of cognitive effort were both negatively related to confidence and accuracy. Subjective assessments, however, were superior predictors of confidence, whereas reaction time was a unique predictor of accuracy. The reaction time-confidence and reaction time-accuracy correlations were stronger under recall conditions than under recognition conditions. Multiple regression results suggested a possible explanation for the superior insight of recall participants into memory accuracy.