Empirical evidence of statement validity methods: Analyzing mnemonic consistency and "Criteria Based Content Analysis" with virtual reality

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Judith Iffland
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 563716635

Statement validity analysis research and practice focus on the credibility of witness statements. Based on fundamental psychological research from the fields of cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and psychopathology, witness accounts are analyzed to determine whether they can be brought into line with current scientific findings. Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA) is currently used to analyze the quality of witness testimonies and is originally based on clinical observations to differentiate between true and fabricated child testimonies. The so-called ‘Undeutsch hypothesis’ postulates that experience-based statements should be of a higher quality than fabricated accounts. However, this basic idea of the CBCA and the specific content criteria were only later aligned with existing psychological mechanisms and theories. Previous research findings on the validity and reliability of the CBCA have indicated a moderate validity of the method in adults. Also, there is a necessity to enhance the ecological validity of CBCA studies. The objective of the present preregistered project is to evaluate the theoretical foundation for the CBCA by empirically analyzing validity and reliability as well as the classification of CBCA characteristics into different categories (episodic memory, schema deviation and lack of strategic self-presentation) under ecologically valid conditions using virtual reality (VR). Also, the incorporation of two assessment points enables a comparison of the consistency of statements between those based on the VR experience and those fabricated with a particular emphasis on central and peripheral details to empirically analyze the theory of 'differential mnemonic consistency'. Also, the additional measurement of presence, stress and emotional involvement allows for the observation of the incremental value of emotional involvement on the prediction of stability and consistency of episodic memory performance. The 360° stimulus set 'Sexual Harassment' from the virtual scenario 'A Virtual Night Out' was provided by the Max-Planck-Institute. Female students will be randomly assigned to one of two study groups (experience-based vs. fabricated) and their statements will be analyzed and compared using semi-structured interviews. Three research questions are formulated with the objective of evaluating the validity and reliability of the CBCA, as well as the consistency of the statements, in order to assess the efficacy of these widely-used psychological methods for distinguishing between experience-based and fabricated statements. A comprehensive pilot study was conducted with 43 female participants to assess the feasibility of the proposed work program and the acceptability of the VR scenario among women. The results of this pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed work program and the high level of acceptance of the VR scenario among women.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professorin Dr. Silvia Gubi-Kelm; Professorin Dr. Kristina Suchotzki