Remembering remotely: would video-mediation impair witnesses' memory reports?

Abstract

Witnesses often experience lengthy delays prior to being interviewed, during which their memories inevitably decay. Video-communication technology – favored by intergovernmental organizations for playing larger roles in judicial processes – might circumvent some of the resourcing problems that can exacerbate such delays. However, whereas video-mediation might facilitate expeditious interviewing, it might also harm rapport-building, make witnesses uncomfortable, and thereby undermine the quality and detail of their reports. Participants viewed a crime film and were interviewed either one day later via video-link, one day later face-to-face, or 1–2 weeks later face-to-face. Video-mediation neither influenced the detail or the accuracy of participants' reports, nor their ratings of the quality of the interviews. However, participants who underwent video-mediated interviews after a short delay gave more accurate, detailed reports than participants who waited longer to be interviewed face-to-face. This study provides initial empirical evidence that video-mediated communication (VMC) could facilitate the expeditious conduct of high-quality investigative interviews.

Keywords:

• eyewitness memory
• videoconferencing
• virtual justice
• rapport-building
• interviewing

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the Richard Benjamin Trust for funding this research. Thanks also to Ellie Brodie and Becky Wheeler for assisting data collection and coding, and to Amina Memon for her invaluable expertise.

Notes

1. Note that accuracy could not be included as a variable in the MANOVA because it is statistically dependent upon correct and incorrect recall.