The Effects of Alcohol & Placebos on Eyewitness Memory

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Almost a third of violent crimes committed in the United States involve alcohol or other drugs, and eyewitnesses to these crimes may also be intoxicated. Given alcohol's prevalence in crime situations, and the fact that mistaken eyewitness evidence is the leading cause of wrongful convictions in the US, it is crucial to understand alcohol's role on eyewitness memory accounts. Although we know that alcohol has separate physiological and psychological effects on various behaviors, we know nothing about the combination of these effects on eyewitness memory and susceptibility to distortion. The overarching goal of our research proposal is to investigate the reliability of drunken eyewitness's memory reports, and to evaluate the effects of misleading suggestions on intoxicated witnesses. There are three aims to the proposed study. Aim 1: Separately examine the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol, as well as any interaction between these two mechanisms, on eyewitness memory distortions using a balanced placebo design. Aim 2: Manipulate the timing of the alcohol or alcohol placebo administration throughout a three staged eyewitness task (witnessing of crime, presentation of inaccurate witness statements, and memory test) to evaluate the various stages of cognitive processing at which alcohol affects memory and susceptibility to distortion. Aim 3: Examine the relationship between people's beliefs about alcohol's effects on memory, as well as obtain self-reports about cognitive functioning under the influence of alcohol or placebos. The long term goal of this research is to inform not only psychological science, but also the medical and legal communities about the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol on eyewitness memory accounts.