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In a new study examining eyewitnesses to crimes, researchers have found evidence to suggest that closing one’s eyes boosts memory recall.
Eyewitnesses to crimes were more likely to identify clues if they kept their eyes closed while trying to remember key events, a study published in Legal and Criminology Psychology journal said on Friday.
The participants who closed their eyes answered 23 percent more of the questions correctly, the study found.
Researchers also found that people who build a good rapport with the person questioning them are more likely to remember key facts.
“It is clear from our research that closing the eyes and building rapport help with witness recall,” said lead author Dr. Robert Nash, from the University of Surrey in the Southeast of England.
The study examined 178 applicants across two studies.
Moreover, people who closed their eyes compared to those who did not were found to be more effective at memory recall regardless of whether they had a rapport or not.
Furthermore, Nash said, “Although closing your eyes to remember seems to work whether or not rapport has been built beforehand, our results show that building rapport makes witnesses more at ease with closing their eyes.”
The explanation may be in the idea that vision takes up a lot of the brain’s processing power, and so removing the field of vision allows greater focus elsewhere.
GMA/HJL
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