JARMAC Editor Choice: June 2024

Vicarious memory promotes successful adaptation and enriches the self

AUTHORS: David B. Pillemer, Dorthe K. Thomsen, and Robyn Fivush

Autobiographical memory theory and research have focused primarily on memories of personally experienced events. We propose that remembering specific memories and life stories recounted by others, termed vicarious memory (VM), is an essential component of personal identity and successful living. We examine (a) the broad adaptive significance of VM; (b) the importance of VM at different developmental periods, with a focus on early childhood; (c) the role played by VM when people confront new and challenging circumstances; (d) the value of VM for deepening understanding of others and establishing relationships; and (e) the positive consequences for personal identity of an enriched connection to family members’ life stories. Although our primary focus is on the positive qualities of VM, we also draw attention to circumstances under which VM is problematic or dysfunctional. We conclude by proposing new directions for research and by identifying practical applications.

Case information biases evaluations of video-recorded eyewitness identification evidence.

AUTHORS: Amy Bradfield Douglass, Steve D. Charman, Kureva P. Matuku, Laura J. Shambaugh, Meghan P. Lapar, and Erika Lamere

Video-recorded eyewitness identification procedures have heretofore unexamined potential for assisting evaluators in assessing eyewitness accuracy. In Study 1 (N = 240), evaluators, on average, successfully differentiated accurate from inaccurate witnesses based on videos of identification procedures alone, but not when extraneous incriminating evidence was also provided. Study 2 (N = 433) replicated this effect using different stimulus videos and operationalizations of evidence. Study 3 (N = 957) revealed that instructions highlighting the limitations of forensic evidence did not preserve evaluators’ ability to discern accuracy when extraneous incriminating case evidence was provided. Moreover, case information affected other judgments (e.g., perceptions of the witness’s view). Overall, results indicate that evaluators can differentiate between accurate and inaccurate witnesses, simply based on a video record of the identification procedure, bolstering recommendations to record identification procedures. However, these evaluations lose their utility when evaluators know about other case evidence.