Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether gender differences between pairs of eyewitnesses influence their collaborative recall. Using the MORI technique (Mori, 2003), two different images can be presented on a single screen and viewed separately by two groups of participants through polarizing filters, so that they are unaware of actually viewing two different overlapping images. The participants in this study were 48 undergraduates, assigned to one of three groups: a) eight male pairs, b) eight female pairs, and c) eight mixed-gender pairs. Wearing polarizing sunglasses, the members of each pairing observed two slightly different versions of an event projected on the same screen. The participants were asked initially to report individually on what they had observed (pre-discussion report), and then to discuss the event with the other member of the pairing and make a consensus report (post-discussion report). After one week, the participants were again asked to report individually on their recollections for the event (week-later report). The results indicated that memory performance for female pairs improved significantly in the post-discussion and the week-later reports. An increase in memory performance for male pairs was only found in the post-discussion report. However, no significant improvements in memory scores for the mixed-gender pairs were observed in any of their reports.
