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Bottled memories: On how alcohol affects eyewitness recall
Author(s) -
Hagsand Angelica,
Hjelmsäter Emma Roos Af,
Granhag Pär Anders,
Fahlke Claudia,
SöderpalmGordh Anna
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12035
Subject(s) - blood alcohol , recall , alcohol , alcohol consumption , alcohol intoxication , psychology , blood alcohol content , poison control , injury prevention , medicine , environmental health , chemistry , biochemistry , cognitive psychology
This study investigated how different doses of alcohol affected eyewitness recall. Participants ( N = 126) were randomly assigned to three groups with different blood alcohol concentration ( BAC ), either a control group (mean BAC 0.00%, N = 42), a lower alcohol dose group (mean BAC 0.04%, N = 40), or a higher alcohol dose group (mean BAC 0.06%, N = 44). After consumption, participants witnessed a movie of a mock crime and were interviewed one week later. The main results showed that witnesses with the higher intoxication level recalled fewer details compared to witnesses with the lower intoxication level. The amount of alcohol consumed did not have an impact on the accuracy rate. No sex differences were found. The results are discussed in the light of past research. We conclude that more studies are needed before recommendations can be made to an applied setting.