Stress and Eyewitness Memory

Authors

Ani A. Aharonian
Brian H. Bornstein, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2008

Comments

Published in Encyclopedia of Psychology and Law, ed. Brian L. Cutler (Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications, 2008). Copyright © 2007 SAGE Publications. Used by permission. http://www.sage-ereference.com/psychologylaw/Article_n312.html

Abstract

Stress exerts complex effects on eyewitness memory. On the whole, it has a negative effect, but this can be quite variable depending on the level of stress and the aspect of the witnessed event that one is trying to remember. Stress operates similarly in affecting person recognition (i.e., lineup performance) and recall of event details.