Can warnings decrease the misinformation effect in post‐event debriefing?

Abstract

Purpose

Operational debriefing and psychological debriefing both involve groups of participants (typically from the emergency services) discussing a critical incident. Research on post‐incident debriefing has previously raised concerns over the likelihood that this discussion may affect not only psychological responses, but also memory integrity. It is possible that discussion in this setting could increase susceptibility to the misinformation effect. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The aim of this study was to investigate whether including a warning to the debriefing instructions about the possibility of memory contamination could reduce the misinformation effect. Participants viewed a stressful film, and were assigned to one of three conditions: debriefing with standard instructions, debriefing with a memory warning, or an individual recall control condition. Free recall memory and distress for the film were assessed.

Findings

Results indicate that participants in both debriefing conditions reported significantly more misinformation than those who did not participate in a discussion. Additionally it was found that the warning of memory contamination did not diminish the misinformation effect.

Originality/value

These findings are discussed with suggestions for the future of debriefing, with a particular focus on the emergency services.

Citation

Monds, L.A., Paterson, H.M. and Whittle, K. (2013), "Can warnings decrease the misinformation effect in post‐event debriefing?", International Journal of Emergency Services, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-06-2012-0025