An episodic specificity interview enhances eyewitness identification under perceptual load and reduces susceptibility to misinformation

High perceptual load has previously been shown to impair eyewitness memory and to enhance susceptibility to leading questions. This study investigated the effect of an episodic specificity interview (ESI) on eyewitness memory under different levels of perceptual load. 80 participants were assigned to view either a high perceptual load or low perceptual load version of a video depicting a theft in an office. After a 5 minute filler task, participants engaged in either an ESI, which employed mental imagery to elicit specific details of the video, or a control interview that solicited general impressions of the video. Under high load, participants’ ability to identify a peripheral character in the scene from a photo line-up was impaired and they were more likely to misidentify a decoy as the target character after one week. These impairments were reduced or eliminated for participants who completed the ESI. The ESI enhanced true recall for details of the scene and reduced false memories arising from leading questions. The results have theoretical implications for perceptual load theory, and practical implications for eyewitness testimony.