Abstract
In this chapter, research on memory trust and distrust in older adults is examined, specifically in the context of eyewitness memory. The majority of reasons people gave for their confidently held memories involved the phenomenological characteristics of the memories, such as clarity of emotion and the amount and vividness of visual and other sensory detail. One way of assessing whether older adults are more trustful or distrustful of their memories for their experiences than are younger adults is simply by having them rate their confidence in what they remember. Self-reported confidence and uncertainty ratings are one way to gauge memory trust and distrust in eyewitnesses. Eyewitness reports are often about traumatic, violent crimes; thus it is important to examine what is known about consistency in memory for emotional events in general. Negative feedback after choosing a suspect from a lineup can deflate eyewitnesses' confidence in their memory, and positive feedback can inflate confidence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Elderly Eyewitness in Court |
| Editors | Michael P. Toglia, David F. Ross, Joanna Pozzulo, Emily Pica |
| Place of Publication | New York, USA |
| Publisher | Psychology Press Taylor & Francis Group |
| Chapter | 4 |
| Pages | 93-117 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-1-315-81393-6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-84872-538-6, 978-1-84872-613-0 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |