Collecting initial accounts using ChatCharlie chatbot improves eyewitness memory in later investigative interviews.

ABSTRACT: Initial account interviews (IAi) offer eyewitnesses more immediate opportunities to answer a series of brief questions about their experiences prior to an in-depth, more formal investigative interview. An IAi is typically elicited in-person near/at the scene of a crime using broadly systematic questioning. Retrieval practice can improve subsequent recall in some contexts, but there is a dearth of research centred on the potential costs and benefits of a quick IAi. Furthermore, where an in-person IAi is impossible, no alternative quick provision exists. Given the systematic nature of the IAi protocol, we developed a conversational chatbot as a potential alternative. Using a mock-witness paradigm, we investigated the memory performance of adults from the general population during in-depth in

SUBMITTER: Dando CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11923045 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature