Examination of the effects of drawing on memory recall and accuracy.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of drawing a picture of the perpetrator on the eyewitness's testimony. One objective of this research was to investigate the accuracy of the use of adult's drawings in eyewitness testimony. Participants in this study were ninety college students ranging from freshmen to seniors who were enrolled in a beginning psychology course at Emporia State University. Participants were presented with a video containing a bike theft vignette. The participants were then divided into three groups. One third of the participants engaged in drawing a picture of the perpetrator using magic markers. One third spent some time thinking about the perpetrator. One third was given a puzzle to solve as a distractor task. After engaging in one of these three activities, all the participants completed a memory questionnaire regarding the perpetrator. It was expected that a significantly greater amount of elaboration and commissions would be reported for the group engaging in drawing a picture of the perpetrator than the groups who engaged in thinking about the perpetrator. It was also predicted that men would report more elaboration and be more accurate in their reporting than would women. Results indicated that men were more accurate than were women. Also, results indicate that those who engaged in puzzles had an increased rate of errors. Those who engaged in puzzles and those who drew committed a significantly greater number of commissions (reporting details which were not actually present) than did those who engaged in thinking about the perpetrator. It can be concluded that engaging in an activity other than focusing on the perpetrator leads the participant to report more error and commissions.