Reinforced Self-affirmation and Interrogative Suggestibility

In this study, we aimed to determine whether reinforced self-affirmation (RSA), consisting of positive feedback about one's memory skills and reflecting on one's achievements, can reduce vulnerability to interrogative suggestibility. We used the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) to assess two kinds of suggestibility: the tendency to yield to suggestive questions (Yield) and the tendency to give different answers after negative feedback (Shift). The RSA group was administered the RSA before undergoing the standard GSS2 procedure. The control group did not perform the RSA. The results showed that compared with the control group, the RSA group demonstrated significantly lower scores for all measures of interrogative suggestibility. There were no differences in memory skills and confabulation between the groups. Our results suggest that RSA may constitute the basis of an effective method to counteract the effects of misleading questions and negative feedback in the context of interrogation.