Source monitoring presents a significant challenge for memory accuracy, particularly in legal contexts that require detailed recall of repeated events. This talk reports findings from the first systematic review investigating how adults remember repeated events, with a focus on source monitoring processes. Methodological and experimental manipulations reveal consistent patterns of memory distortion and source confusion across studies. Implications for forensic interviewing and witness testimony are discussed. The talk concludes with key directions for future research, including the role of individual differences, the development and validation of repeated-event interview protocols, and the investigation of source monitoring in applied forensic contexts.

This study examines confidence-accuracy relationships in reports of single and repeated events. Participants experienced one or four similar missions, then rated their confidence in subsequent interviews. Pilot analyses suggested confidence predicted accuracy regardless of event repetition, indicating that participants were aware of retrieval difficulties and adjusted their confidence estimates. Although we predicted fewer high-confidence details for repeated events, results showed no significant difference, and confidence remained a strong predictor of accuracy across both conditions. Exploratory analysis indicated that participants may have underestimated their accuracy for repeated events. These findings contribute to understanding the role of confidence in free recall paradigms.

Little is known about how people assess the confidence of their memories for repeated events. This is important because, in the legal system, confidence is often used to judge the credibility of an account. We investigated the confidence-accuracy relationship in 180 adults` recall memory for variable details in repeated event videos. Participants rated their confidence under one of 3 between-subjects conditions; immediate, delayed, and global estimate. The two most commonly used analyses (point-biserial correlation and confidence accuracy characteristics) for the confidence-accuracy relationship are being compared to detect any discrepancies in conclusions.

In legal settings, decisions are often made based on evaluations of memory reports provided by witnesses, victims or informants. Reports of repeated events are often perceived as less credible than reports of single events. In the current experiment, participants (N = 252) in a between-subjects design were asked to rate the credibility and reliability of an account when informed (or not) that the reported event was (either) isolated or part of a series of repeated events. Results will be discussed in relation to assumptions about memory in applied settings, and the type of cues used to judge witness reports.