Neural Circuits and Systems Neuroscience
Author: Facundo Urreta Benitez | Email: facu.urreta@gmail.com
Facundo Urreta Benitez 1°, Matías Bonilla 1°, Candela S León 1°, Cristian García-Bauza 4°, Cecilia Forcato 1°
1° Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2° Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3° Innocence Project Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
4° Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires
The dynamic nature of memory constitutes a fundamental aspect to consider in the field of eyewitness testimony. The malleability of memories varies as time progresses, determining periods of greater or lesser vulnerability to external influences. In practice, these influences can be related to misinformation suggested intentionally or accidentally by interrogators during the testimonial process.
In this study, we employed an online paradigm to replicate a testimony and recognition process related to a fictional crime. Participants watched a video and were subsequently questioned about it using suggestive questions. The waiting period between viewing the video and the suggestive interrogation varies among different groups, aiming to expose the impact of suggested disinformation during moments when memory could be potentially labile or consolidated. Finally, a second non-suggestive interrogation is conducted, accompanied by recognition lineups.
Preliminary data reveal a susceptibility to misinformation among those participants who responded to the suggestive questionnaire shortly after acquisition, resulting in errors both in recognition and responses to directed questions.