The suggestibility of memory: individual differences, environmental factors and psycho-legal implications

This paper examines psychological parameters and legal issues associated with the suggestibility of memory. The "misinformation effect" is a phenomenon which refers to the acceptance of misleading information following exposure to an event, and findings from this and other related areas of research are reviewed. An initial study was performed to determine whether the misinformation effect could be replicated, and whether level of arousal and individual differences in dissociativity affected acceptance of misinformation. This study demonstrated strong misinformation effects, but neither the arousal condition nor differences in dissociativity had a significant effect. An unexpected result was revealed in a post-hoc analysis which indicated that females scored significantly higher in the acceptance of misinformation. A follow-up study was performed to determine if there would be a replication of these gender differences. The second study was also undertaken to clarify the issue of arousal, and a manipulation check was included for this condition. Additional measures of psychological characteristics were included to assess for any possible relationships between these constructs and suggestibility; dissociativity was again assessed, in addition to hypnotizability, trait anxiety, and five general factors of personality. Results of the second study did not replicate the gender differences demonstrated in the first study. In addition, levels of arousal were found to be similar for both conditions, and none of the psychological constructs assessed were related to suggestibility as measured by performance on the dependent variable. These experiments are followed by a discussion of the legal issues relevant to research in suggestibility.