Misinformation Effect
Definition
The incorporation of misleading post-event information into the original memory trace, documented by Loftus and Palmer (1974) and subsequent studies. Distinguished from merely appending new information: the original trace is modified.
- Core finding
- Post-event information modifies the original memory trace, not merely appended to it
- Key researcher
- Elizabeth Loftus (landmark study Loftus and Palmer, 1974)
- Common trigger
- Misleading vocabulary in investigator questions during interviews
Common questions
How does the misinformation effect differ from just forgetting details?+
The misinformation effect isn't about memory decay. It's about the original memory trace being modified by misleading post-event information. The witness doesn't forget and fill in a blank. They update what they remember to match the false details, and those false memories feel as real as genuine ones.
Can the wording of a question itself trigger the misinformation effect?+
Yes. The vocabulary and phrasing used by investigators or interviewers can alter what a witness reports remembering. Even subtle changes in how a question is asked can incorporate misleading information that reshapes the original memory.
Why is the misinformation effect a concern in witness interviews?+
Because eyewitnesses often believe their modified memories are accurate. The false details feel genuine, making contaminated testimony convincing to juries and detectives. This is why interview technique and question design matter for preserving memory integrity.
Related terms
- Cognitive Interview (CI)
- An evidence-based interview technique developed by Fisher and Geiselman that uses memory-enhancement strategies including mental reinstatement of context, free recall, temporal variation,...
- Cross-Race Effect
- The empirical finding that own-race identifications are more accurate than cross-race identifications (Meissner and Brigham meta-analysis, 2001), with practical implications for lineup...
- Encoding Specificity
- Tulving's principle that memory retrieval is most effective when the retrieval context matches the encoding context. Mental reinstatement of context is a...
- Estimator Variables
- Factors present at the time of the crime that affect encoding accuracy but cannot be retrospectively controlled, including weapon focus, cross-race effect,...
- Free Recall
- The CI phase in which a witness reports everything they can remember without interruption or directing questions from the interviewer, producing a...
- Mental Reinstatement of Context
- A CI technique in which the witness is asked to mentally return to the setting of the event, imagining what they saw,...
- PEACE
- Preparation and Planning, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure, Evaluation: the five-stage interview framework adopted in England and Wales from 1992, used for...
- Post-Identification Feedback Effect
- The inflation of witness confidence, perceived viewing quality, and retrospective memory detail following confirming feedback from an investigator. Documented by Wells and...
- R V. Turnbull Warning
- A mandatory judicial warning in English and Welsh Crown Court proceedings when the case depends substantially on identification evidence, requiring the jury...
- Reconstructive Memory
- The psychological model of memory as a constructive process shaped by schemas, expectations, and post-event information, rather than a fixed recording. Foundational...
- System Variables
- Factors in the identification process that are within the control of the criminal justice system, including lineup administration, instructions, and feedback policies....
- Weapon Focus Effect
- The reduced encoding of a perpetrator's face when a weapon is present, attributable to attentional narrowing toward the threat-relevant stimulus (Steblay meta-analysis,...
Explained in these topics
- Eyewitness Testimony: Loftus and the Innocence Project DataThe incorporation of misleading post-event information into the original memory trace, documented by Loftus and Palmer (1974) and subsequent studies. Distingui...
- The PEACE Model, the Cognitive Interview, and Investigative LinguisticsLoftus's finding that post-event information, including the vocabulary used in questions, can alter what a witness reports remembering, producing false memorie...