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Non-verbal cues in eyewitness testimonies do not predict accuracy or credibility assessments
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6291-632X
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8867-5752
Stockholm University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology.ORCID iD: /0000-0002-9116-4777
2025 (English)In: Scientific Reports, E-ISSN 2045-2322, Vol. 15, no 1, article id 5265Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Non-verbal behaviour, such as facial expressions and body language, plays a critical role in assessments of witnesses’ credibility that inform legal decisions in cases involving crime. While prior research has primarily focused on associations between non-verbal cues and deception, this study investigates the relation between non-verbal cues and recall memory accuracy in honestly reported mock eyewitness testimonies. Using a sample of 36 video-recorded eyewitness testimonies about a violent crime (n = 680 statements), we examined whether non-verbal cues were associated with statement accuracy (correct vs. incorrect), witness credibility as rated by independent observers, and witnesses’ self-reported confidence. Additionally, we explored whether these associations differed for native vs. non-native speaking witnesses. Results revealed no associations between non-verbal cues and statement accuracy or perceived credibility. Furthermore, while non-native speakers were perceived as less credible, these perceptions were not related to non-verbal cues. Our findings contradict common beliefs by showing that non-verbal behaviour is not reliably related to accuracy or perceived credibility in eyewitness testimonies, highlighting the need for caution in their use in high-stakes legal contexts.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025. Vol. 15, no 1, article id 5265
Keywords [en]
non-verbal cues, eyewitness testimony, credibility assessment, memory accuracy, native vs. non-native speakers
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-241081DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-89825-0ISI: 001421210700008PubMedID: 39939728Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85218834431OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-241081DiVA, id: diva2:1946232
Note

Open access funding provided by Stockholm University. The funding was supported by the Swedish Research Council, 2019-03296.

Available from: 2025-03-20 Created: 2025-03-20 Last updated: 2025-04-08

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