Knowledge of legal professionals about age trends in false memory propensity: a vignette study.

Autor: Houben STL; Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. sanne.houben@maastrichtuniversity.nl., Otgaar H; Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.; Catholic University Leuven, Leuven, Belgium., Granhag PA; University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden., Roos Af Hjelmsäter E; University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden., Sauerland M; Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Nov 29; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 29687. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Nov 29.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-80835-y
Abstrakt: Professionals who evaluate witness testimony must understand the developmental factors that can affect statements credibility. This online vignette study investigated in how far 102 legal professionals (e.g., judges, attorneys, and police officers) were aware of age-related differences in false memory formation (e.g., the developmental reversal effect). Swedish, Norwegian, and Dutch legal professionals received a case vignette about a female who had witnessed her mother's murder. We manipulated witness age (6 versus 22 years old) and disclosure (spontaneous versus suggestion-induced). Legal professionals rated the case and statement on several credibility, metacognition, and belief items. Main effects of both age and disclosure indicated that professionals were statistically more likely to assume that the case referred to a false memory when the witness was 6 (versus 22) years old and when the witness had talked to her grandmother (versus spontaneous statement) before her disclosure to the police. The 6-year-old witness was rated as more reliable than the 22-year-old witness. Professionals were more likely to consider the opinion of a memory expert when the witness was 6 years old rather than 22 years old. This study emphasizes the need for raising awareness among legal professionals about developmental factors related to validity assessment.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. This research was supported by a fellowship awarded from the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate Programme The House of Legal Psychology (EMJD-LP) with the Framework Partnership Agreement 2013-0036 and the Specific Grant Agreement 2013-1438. Ethical approval: This study was performed in line with academic departmental policies in effect at the time, and these were in turn in line with the Helsinki convention. The need for ethics approval was deemed unnecessary according to the regulations of the University of Gothenburg. Participation was voluntary. Consent to participate: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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