Effect of fear on eyewitness' retrieval in recognition memory

The effect of fear on the retrieval of eyewitness' recognition memory was experimentally investigated. Participants were presented with a thematic series of slides of either neutral or ambiguous stimuli. The ambiguous stimulus consisted of a red liquid flowing on a girl's head. Participants who saw the ambiguous stimulus interpreted the liquid as either red paint, or the girl's blood. Differences in the interpretation of the ambiguous stimulus affected the participants'recognition memory. Participants who interpreted the stimulus as blood displayed inferior memory compared to those who interpreted the stimulus as red paint or those who were shown the neutral stimulus. Moreover, when the participant's interpretation was changed from blood to red paint by an experimenter, the memory for central details was enhanced. These results suggest that fear interferes with retrieval. Participants' memory could be improved by reducing fear during the retrieval stage.