Collaborative Recall of Eyewitness Event Increases Misinformation Effect at 1 Week

Previous research has shown that co-witness discussion can lead to misinformation effects but collaborative recall can reduce susceptibility to misinformation. 164 college students watched a video of a near collision by two automobiles in a parking lot followed by a pedestrian being hit by one of the cars. After reading an eyewitness statement that contained no or 4 pieces of misinformation, participants recalled the events collaboratively or individually, then individually several minutes and 1 week later. After 1 week, participants who had collaborated initially were more likely to report misinformation than those who had always responded independently. Previously found benefits of collaborative recall in reducing misinformation effects were not found. After a delay, the misinformation discussed may persist but the source tags identifying it as incorrect may fade resulting in greater long term misinformation effects for collaborators.