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The way we remember and report: an experiment testing cultural differences in eyewitness memory.

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Title: The way we remember and report: an experiment testing cultural differences in eyewitness memory.
Authors: de Bruïne, Gabi (AUTHOR), Vredeveldt, Annelies (AUTHOR), van Koppen, Peter J. (AUTHOR)
Source: Memory. Jul2025, Vol. 33 Issue 6, p644-653. 10p.
Subjects: Research funding, Descriptive statistics, Multivariate analysis, Chi-squared test, Memory, Analysis of variance, Data analysis software, Cultural pluralism
Geographic Terms: Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract: More and more people report their memories in cross-cultural contexts, including eyewitness interviews. In a pre-registered experiment (N = 64), we examined cultural differences in mock eyewitness reports, comparing Sub-Saharan African participants to a matched Western European group. Participants were interviewed about a mock crime video. We assessed differences in the number of correct, incorrect, subjective and total details, the type of details (person, action, object, surrounding), and accuracy. European participants provided significantly more details than African participants. Surprisingly, in free recall African participants used non-significantly more words to provide non-significantly fewer details. An exploratory analysis revealed that this may be due to the fact that Africans included more information that is not directly relevant to the event, such as moral evaluations. That finding supports existing literature on cultural differences in high- versus low-context communication styles. We found no significant differences between groups in the accuracy of witness reports. Because factual details about the event are typically required for criminal investigations, future research should assess how to elicit those from African individuals. Our findings emphasise the importance of considering cultural differences in memory reports and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying such cultural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Memory is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: The way we remember and report: an experiment testing cultural differences in eyewitness memory.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22de+Bruïne%2C+Gabi%22">de Bruïne, Gabi</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vredeveldt%2C+Annelies%22">Vredeveldt, Annelies</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22van+Koppen%2C+Peter+J%2E%22">van Koppen, Peter J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Memory%22">Memory</searchLink>. Jul2025, Vol. 33 Issue 6, p644-653. 10p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+funding%22">Research funding</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multivariate+analysis%22">Multivariate analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Chi-squared+test%22">Chi-squared test</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Memory%22">Memory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Analysis+of+variance%22">Analysis of variance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Data+analysis+software%22">Data analysis software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+pluralism%22">Cultural pluralism</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sub-Saharan+Africa%22">Sub-Saharan Africa</searchLink>
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  Data: More and more people report their memories in cross-cultural contexts, including eyewitness interviews. In a pre-registered experiment (N = 64), we examined cultural differences in mock eyewitness reports, comparing Sub-Saharan African participants to a matched Western European group. Participants were interviewed about a mock crime video. We assessed differences in the number of correct, incorrect, subjective and total details, the type of details (person, action, object, surrounding), and accuracy. European participants provided significantly more details than African participants. Surprisingly, in free recall African participants used non-significantly more words to provide non-significantly fewer details. An exploratory analysis revealed that this may be due to the fact that Africans included more information that is not directly relevant to the event, such as moral evaluations. That finding supports existing literature on cultural differences in high- versus low-context communication styles. We found no significant differences between groups in the accuracy of witness reports. Because factual details about the event are typically required for criminal investigations, future research should assess how to elicit those from African individuals. Our findings emphasise the importance of considering cultural differences in memory reports and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying such cultural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Memory is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=187023501
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        Value: 10.1080/09658211.2025.2505213
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
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      – SubjectFull: Multivariate analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Analysis of variance
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      – SubjectFull: Data analysis software
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      – SubjectFull: Sub-Saharan Africa
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      – TitleFull: The way we remember and report: an experiment testing cultural differences in eyewitness memory.
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            NameFull: Vredeveldt, Annelies
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              Text: Jul2025
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              Y: 2025
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