Current Projects
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Suggestion and memoryIn prior research on false autobiographical beliefs and memories, people have been asked to imagine fictitious events and they have been exposed to false evidence that indicates those events occurred (e.g., doctored photos or bogus questionnaire feedback). Both of these techniques are highly suggestive, but there is still a lot to learn about different forms of suggestion. For instance, what forms of suggestion are more likely to elicit memory errors? What are the underlying mechanisms? Could false evidence induce people to confess to a crime they have never committed, or testify about events they have never witnessed? PeopleRob Nash (Lancaster University, UK) |
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False childhood memoriesOne of my ongoing research programmes focuses on how and why people might come to remember wholley false childhood experiences. To this end, I have worked with several memory experts to investigate a range of issues: What is the power of doctored photos to induce memory distortions? Childhood amnesia precludes us from recalling events in our early childhood, but might it make us more susceptible to developing false memories? Is there some defining characteristic that might enable psychologists to distinguish between genuine and distorted memories? What is the phenomenological experience of remembering fictitious events?
PeopleMaryanne Garry (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand) |
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Distinctive facial features in recognition performanceEyewitness descriptions of suspects often refer to distinctive facial features or markings when present. The police have to decide how best to create a fair lineup or photospread in these circumstances. There is surprisingly little research, however, on how distinctive features influence identification accuracy and whether the presence or absence of such features could disrupt the normal mechanisms by which we recognise unfamiliar faces. This research examines how distinctive features influence our ability to identify faces. PeopleTheodora Zarkadi (Cambridge University, UK) |
