Memory of a crime’s details varies based on the suspect’s name

Evidence

Bias may be at play in the details of crimes provided to police and prosecutors. We know from Levinson (2007) that, when distracted for fifteen minutes and asked to recall details of an incident, participants who read about William’s actions (instead of Tyrone’s actions) recalled fewer aggressive details about the incident. Such selective memory would again lead to differing details in police accounts and witness testimony. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 1381

Categorization

• CANDY: A quick, tweetable research finding — same incident remembered differently depending on whether the suspect was named William or Tyrone.