Closing your eyes when trying to recall events increases the chances of accuracy, researchers at the University of Surrey suggest, the BBC reports.

Scientists tested people's ability to remember details of films showing fake crime scenes.

They hope the studies will help witnesses recall details more accurately when questioned by police.

They say establishing a rapport with the person asking the questions can also help boost memory.

Writing in the journal Legal and Criminological Psychology, scientists tested 178 participants in two separate experiments.

In the first, they asked volunteers to watch a film showing an electrician entering a property, carrying out work and then stealing a number of items.

Volunteers were then questioned in one of four groups. People were either asked questions with their eyes open or closed, and after a sense of rapport had been built with the interviewer or no attempt had been made to create a friendly introduction.

People who had some rapport with their interviewer and had their eyes shut throughout questioning answered three-quarters of the 17 questions correctly.

But those who did not have a friendly introduction with the interviewer and had their eyes open answered 41% correctly.

The analysis showed that eye closing had the strongest impact on remembering details correctly, but that feeling comfortable during the interview also helped.

In the second experiment, people were asked to remember details of what they had heard during a mock crime scene.

Again closing their eyes and having a sense of rapport with the interviewer helped people recall more details than participants in all other groups.