Describing a face impairs the later recognition of this same face. This effect, known as the verbal overshadowing effect (Schooler and Engstler-Schooler, 1990Schooler J.W., Engstler-Schooler T.Y. Verbal overshadowing of visual memories: some things are better left unsaid Cognitive Psychology 1990 ;  22 : 36-71 [cross-ref]

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti), is especially observed when the description is complete (Meissner et al., 2001Meissner C.A., Brigham J.C., Kelley C.M. The influence of retrieval processes in verbal overshadowing Memory & Cognition 2001 ;  29 : 176-186

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti). This is an actual dilemma for investigators: choosing between an efficient search of the suspect from the eyewitness’s description or an accurate identification of the perpetrator by the eyewitness. The Person Description Interview offers a solution to this issue (Demarchi and Py, 2009Demarchi S., Py J. A method to enhance person description: a field study Handbook of psychology of investigative interviewing: current developments and future directions : Blackwell: Wiley (2009).  241-256

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti). With this interview protocol, descriptions of the perpetrator are more complete than those obtained with a series of precise closed questions, and face recognition performance is higher.

Décrire un visage en détériore la reconnaissance ultérieure. Ce phénomène d’ombrage verbal (Schooler and Engstler-Schooler, 1990Schooler J.W., Engstler-Schooler T.Y. Verbal overshadowing of visual memories: some things are better left unsaid Cognitive Psychology 1990 ;  22 : 36-71 [cross-ref]

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti) est d’autant plus prononcé que la description est complète (Meissner et al., 2001Meissner C.A., Brigham J.C., Kelley C.M. The influence of retrieval processes in verbal overshadowing Memory & Cognition 2001 ;  29 : 176-186

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti). D’un point de vue appliqué, cela est très gênant car les enquêteurs doivent choisir entre une recherche efficace du suspect à partir de la description et une identification correcte du criminel par un témoin. Face à ce paradoxe, il convient de proposer une méthode d’entretien qui augmente la complétude des descriptions et n’amenuise que peu les performances de reconnaissance. L’Entretien de Description des Personnes ([EDP] Demarchi and Py, 2009Demarchi S., Py J. A method to enhance person description: a field study Handbook of psychology of investigative interviewing: current developments and future directions : Blackwell: Wiley (2009).  241-256

Cliccare qui per andare alla sezione Riferimenti) permet de résoudre ce problème : les descriptions sont plus complètes qu’avec une série de questions précises et fermées, et les performances de reconnaissance sont supérieures.