Memory Wars: A Solution to the Conflict / Las Guerras de la Memoria: una Solución al Conflicto

Se discute la validez de la memoria disociativa en contextos forenses y las causas de las llamadas “guerras de la memoria”. Conceptos erróneos entre la psicología clínica y la psicología forense, una definición deficiente de la amnesia y las dificultades inherentes en el estudio de recuerdos traumáticos contribuyen a la persistencia de esta controversia. Particularmente en el campo de la psicología forense, el debate podría atribuirse a la falta de consenso sobre la evidencia científica. Los psicólogos necesitan establecer una base empírica para comprender mejor los mecanismos de la memoria involucrados en recordar y olvidar recuerdos traumáticos. Se esboza el Modelo de Accesibilidad Continua de la Memoria para explicar la recuperación de los diferentes grados de accesibilidad a los recuerdos autobiográficos basados en diferentes factores.(AU)

The validity of dissociative memory in forensic contexts and the causes of the so-called “memory wars” arediscussed. Misconceptions between clinical and forensic psychology, a deficient definition of amnesia, and the difficulties inherent in studying traumatic memories contribute to the persistence of this controversy. Particularly in the field of forensic psychology, the debate could be attributed to the lack of consensus on scientific evidence. Psychologists need to establish an empirical foundation to understand better the mechanisms of memory involved in remembering and forgetting traumatic memories. The Continuous Accessibility Model of Memory is outlined to explain the retrieval of the different degrees of accessibility to autobiographical memories based on different factors.(AU)

Adequacy of the WHOQoL-BREF to Assess the Quality of Life of Victims of Armed Conflicts.

There is a deterioration in the quality of life (QoL) of survivor victims of warlike conflicts. Because there is a need to guarantee the effectiveness of assessment tools for these populations, we studied the adequacy of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQoL-BREF) to assess the QoL of 1,136 surviving victims of the armed conflict in Colombia. Although this questionnaire has yielded promising results, questions remain about its psychometric suitability for specific populations. We used model modification at the item level, comparisons of models with different factor structures, and dimensionality analysis to address the psychometric problems encountered. Dimensionality analysis using a bifactor model suggests that WHOQoL-BREF total scores might be a more appropriate way of reporting results when model fit adequacy is not reached. Conclusions are offered on the psychometric properties of the WHOQoL-BREF, the evaluation of special populations, and possible strategies to address future questionnaire modifications.

Assessment of Testifying Ability in Preschool Children: CAPALIST.

Purpose: Interviews to obtain statements in judicial procedures need to be adapted to the witnesses' abilities to testify. Moreover, knowing the cognitive abilities involved in testifying provides relevant criteria to assess statement credibility. As age or intelligence quotient is not enough to estimate these capabilities, an instrument to evaluate witnesses' specific abilities to testify is needed. The present paper validates CAPALIST, a procedure that considers relevant capabilities when assessing the testimony given by children. Methods: This study analyzed, by means of an invariant measurement approach (Rasch model), four scales included in CAPALIST: language, memory, contextual information, and social thinking. In addition, gender and age differences were analyzed in 83 children [45 males and 38 females; M age = 4.3 years, SD = 0.74, range (3.06-5.11)] from three courses in early childhood education. Results: The four scales do not severely violate the requirements of the model. The principal component analysis of the residuals indicates that the four scales are one dimensional and that the assumption of local independence was not violated. Differential item functioning of the scales associated with gender was not detected. A significant effect of the school year was obtained, with an increase in ability in successive courses. The percentage of children who presented severe misfit responses with the model was low. In addition, the number of items with a severe misfit was also low. Conclusion: An acceptable performance of CAPALIST is demonstrated for most of the scales, although items with a severe misfit must be replaced, and more difficult items have to be included in some scales of the revised version of the instrument. CAPALIST is a promising procedure to assess the abilities of children to testify in order to adapt interviews and to evaluate their statements correctly.

Traumatic Events Exposure and Psychological Trauma in Children Victims of War in the Gaza Strip.

The present article studies war-related trauma and its effects on children living in the Gaza Strip, 6 months after the attack launched by the Israeli army on July 8, 2014, which lasted for 51 days. The objective was twofold: (a) to identify the prevalence of exposure to traumatic events and (b) to examine the symptoms of traumatic stress in children as described by their parents or tutors using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). Data from 1,850 male and female children aged between 6 and 15 years living in the Gaza Strip were collected throughout the months of February and April 2015, that is 6 months after the attack. Results showed that the majority of the children were exposed to bombardments and residential area destruction (83.51%), were confined at home unable to go outside (72.92%), were witness to the profanation of mosques (70.38%), were exposed to combat situations (66.65%), and saw corpses (59.95%). A sample of 275 males (28.3%) and 232 females (26.5%) showed diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Gender and age were independent of PTSD. The presence of this pathology was positively related to the number of trauma events experienced. The type of traumatic experience was hardly related to age and gender. A greater protection on behalf of the families against exposure to traumatic events could explain these differences.

Descriptive Analysis of the Characteristics of Proven Cases of Sexual Abuse in Victims With Intellectual Disabilities and Children With Typical Development in Spain.

Children and people with intellectual disability (ID) are considered to be highly vulnerable and in need of special protection against sexual abuse (SA). The objective of this work was to analyze the characteristics of cases of SA in children with typical development and in people with ID in Spain. To do so, 25 cases of each type that had been investigated by specialized groups of the Judicial Police of the Spanish Civil Guard and that had been classified as proven and confirmed by police and forensic-medical evidence were analyzed. The results allowed the establishment of the typical minor victim profile as Spanish female (76%), with an average age of 8.64 years. Typical victim with ID was characterized as being of Spanish, aged 20.28 years on average, without prior sexual experience, and similar percentages of males (40%) and females (60%). In both cases, the aggressor usually acted alone, was known to the victim, had an average age of 42 years, and without a history of sexual offenses. The most common child sexual crime was SA with penetration, practiced repeatedly, using strategies such as the use of force, authority, rewards, or secrecy. Victims with ID suffered sexual abuse with penetration, using force, authority, threats or blackmail. Finally, 36% of minors not disclose the events by only 8% of victims with ID. Spontaneity was found in the 40% first disclosure in both victims, with greater police evidence and greater recognition of guilt on behalf of the aggressors against victims without disabilities. Minors took an average of 26.26 days to report the facts, and victims with ID of 64.94. It is necessary to know more about these types of offenses to design appropriate prevention and detection programs.

Intervención integral en el ictus / Comprehensive intervention in stroke

Introducción: se mantiene el debate sobre qué tipos de intervenciones para la recuperación del ictus ofrecen mejores resultados para el paciente. Objetivo: evaluar el efecto de una intervención integral durante seis meses sobre la recuperación funcional en pacientes con ictus. Métodos: la muestra estuvo compuesta por 42 participantes con ictus: un grupo experimental (N = 22) con una media de edad de 52,68 años (DE = 14,39) que recibió una intervención integral, intensiva y multidisciplinar, y un grupo control (N = 20) con una media de edad de 56,20 años (DE = 14,82) que no recibió este tipo de intervención. Se valoraron los siguiente índices de severidad del ictus: Escala de Coma de Glasgow, Escala Canadiense, estancia en Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, signos de enclavamiento uncal, signos de hipertensión endocraneal, volumen del hematoma/área isquémica, desplazamiento de línea media, necesidad de cirugía y tiempo total de hospitalización. Ambos grupos eran equivalentes en estos índices de gravedad. El grado de funcionalidad fue medido con la aplicación de la escala Functional Independence Measure and Functional Assessment Measure. Esta prueba se aplicó al inicio de la intervención y 6 meses después. Resultados: se observó una evolución positiva en ambos grupos en todas las áreas de la escala. La intervención integral y un menor tiempo total de hospitalización se relacionaron con una mejor recuperación funcional en el ictus. Conclusiones: se sugiere la necesidad de realizar estrategias de rehabilitación integral en los pacientes con ictus(AU)

Introduction: debate is currently underway about what types of stroke recovery interventions are more beneficial for patients. Objective: evaluate the effect of a six-month comprehensive intervention on the functional recovery of stroke patients. Methods: the study sample was 42 stroke patients: an experimental group (N = 22), mean age 52.68 years (SD = 14.39), who received a comprehensive intensive multidisciplinary intervention, and a control group (N = 20), mean age 56.20 years (SD = 14.82), who did not receive this type of intervention. The following stroke severity indices were applied: Glasgow Coma Scale, Canadian Scale, intensive care unit stay, uncal latching signs, endocranial hypertension signs, hematoma volume / ischemic area, midline displacement, need for surgery and total hospital stay time. These severity indices were similar in the two groups. Degree of functionality was gauged with the scales Functional Independence Measure and Functional Assessment Measure. This test was applied at the start of the intervention and 6 months later. Results: both groups had a positive evolution in all the areas of the scale. The comprehensive intervention and a shorter total hospital stay were associated to better functional recovery from stroke. Conclusions: the need is suggested to implement comprehensive rehabilitation strategies in stroke patients(AU)

Cuestionario de Comportamiento Infantil y Adolescente. Análisis Factorial Exploratorio en una Muestra de Escolares Cubanos / Child and Adolescent Behavior Questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis in a sample of Cuban schoolchildren

La evaluación del comportamiento de los niños y adolescentes en edad escolar es relevante para la detección de grupos de riesgo en ámbitos educativos y clínicos. Frecuentemente se realiza a través de cuestionarios que muestran algunos problemas metodológicos no resueltos. El presente estudio explora los factores principales del Cuestionario de Comportamiento Infantil y Adolescente, instrumento en desarrollo diseñado para evaluar la población infanto-juvenil sana, a través del criterio de maestros en Cuba. Fueron seleccionados por muestreo no probabilístico 6,993 niños y adolescentes, del municipio Centro Habana: 4,991 (71.37%) escolares de primaria entre 6 y 12 años de edad y 2,002 estudiantes de secundaria entre 11 y 15 años de edad; de ellos, 3,528 (50.45%) fueron mujeres y 3,465 hombres. Un análisis de factores principales iterados con rotación varimax normalizada extrajo tres factores, que explican el 70.94% de la varianza total: control de comportamiento, desempeño cognitivo escolar y socialización. Se discuten las posibles relaciones de estos resultados con distintos del desarrollo psicológico, la neuromaduración y los procesos educativos

Reports regarding behavior in children and adolescents in school age are useful to detect risk groups in educational as well as clinical environments. Usually, these reports are obtained from questionnaires that are impaired by non-solved methodological problems. This study explores the principal factors of the Child and Adolescent Behavior Questionnaire, an instrument previously designed to assess healthy children and adolescents through teacher reports in Cuba. A non-probabilistic sample of 6,993 children and adolescents from Centro Habana municipality was assessed: 4,991 (71.37%) were elementary school students, aged 6-12 years; 2,002 were junior high school students, aged 11-15 years; 3,528 were females (50.45%), 3,465 were males. According to an iterated principal factor analysis with varimax-normalized rotation, three factors explained 70.94% of the total variance: Behavioral Control, School Cognitive Performance, and Socialization. Possible relations between these results, psychological development, neuromaturation, and education are discussed

La entrevista forense: obtención del indicio cognitivo en menores presuntas víctimas de abuso sexual infantil / The forensic interview: obtaining cognitive indicia in children who are the alleged victims of sexual abuse

Las características que rodean a los delitos de abuso sexual infantil (ASI), puesto que muchos se cometen en la clandestinidad, sin testigos y sin evidencias físicas que los corroboren, dificultan el enjuiciamiento de los mismos. El análisis y valoración del indicio cognitivo (huella de memoria) se convierte así en el principal medio de prueba con el que cuenta el juez. La entrevista forense es el instrumento mediante el cual el perito psicólogo obtiene este indicio cognitivo para su posterior análisis y valoración en términos de credibilidad. En el presente artículo se alerta sobre los posibles sesgos en el entrevistador y errores procedimentales que pueden contaminar la obtención del relato del menor, y se propone un diseño del proceso de entrevista forense con el objetivo de facilitar la labor pericial y minimizar esos posibles sesgos. Se hace hincapié en la necesidad de que el evaluador cuente con formación y entrenamiento especializado en esta técnica

The characteristics surrounding child sexual abuse (CSA), which is committed in secret without witnesses or corroborating physical evidence, make it difficult to prosecute. The analysis and assessment of the cognitive indicia (memory imprint) thus becomes the primary documentary evidence the judge can count on. The forensic interview is the instrument by which the forensic psychologist obtains the cognitive indicia for further analysis and assessment with regards to credibility. The present article warns of the potential interviewer biases and procedural errors that can contaminate the child’s narrative production, and proposes a design of the forensic interview process that aims to facilitate the evaluator’s task and minimise the possible biases. It emphasises the need for the evaluator to have knowledge and specialised training in this technique

La memoria y el lenguaje en pruebas testificales con menores de 3 a 6 años / Memory and language in testimonies of 3- to 6- year old children

La prueba testifical de menores de corta edad es, en muchos casos, la principal y única prueba indiciaria en los procesos penales. La memoria y el lenguaje son dos de los principales componentes en la declaración del menor que requieren un especial análisis, no sólo por el importante papel que juegan, sino también por la relación existente entre ambas capacidades. La vulnerabilidad de la memoria y su posibilidad de ser alterada mediante sugerencias, así como la variabilidad del desarrollo del lenguaje en el menor de 3 a 6 años edad, son dos factores de influencia en la recogida del testimonio. Estos factores, junto con la pericia del entrevistador en la adaptación de la entrevista al menor al que va dirigida podrán conseguir una recogida de información fiable y libre de subjetividades que facilitarán la investigación de los hechos denunciados. El presente artículo presenta una visión conjunta de ambas capacidades desde la perspectiva del testimonio infantil en el proceso penal

The testimony of pre-school children is, in many cases, the main and only circumstantial evidence in criminal proceedings. Memory and language are two main components in the statement of the child and they require special analysis, not only because of the important role they play, but also because of the relationship between the two capacities. The vulnerability of memory and its ability to be altered by suggestions, as well as the variability of language development in the 3- to 6-year-old child, are two factors that influence the collection of testimony. These factors, together with the interviewer’s skill in adapting the interview to the child, may obtain reliable information that is free of subjectivity and that will facilitate the investigation of the allegations. This article presents an overview of both capabilities, language and memory, from the perspective of child witness testimony as evidence in criminal proceedings

Underlying processes behind false perspective production

This study aimed to determine the extent to which Reality Monitoring (RM) content analysis can provide useful information when discriminating between actual versus false statements. Participants were instructed to either describe a traffic accident as eyewitness actual role or to describe the accident as a simulated victim. Data were analysed in terms of accuracy and quality, and were represented using high dimensional visualization (HDV). In Experiment 1 (between-participant design), participants made significantly more references to cognitive operations, more self-references and less changes in order when describing the event as simulated victim. In Experiment 2 (within-participants design) participants also made significantly more references to cognitive operations and more self references when describing the event from the simulated victim as well as being less accurate, providing less irrelevant information and more evaluative comments. HDV graphics indicated that false statements differ holistically from actual ones

El objetivo del presente estudio consistió en determinar si los procedimientos de análisis de contenido basados en las propuestas de Reality Monitoring (RM) pueden aportar información útil para discriminar entre declaraciones verdaderas y falsas. Se pidió a los participantes que describieran un accidente de tráfico desde su papel real de testigo o que lo describieran simulando ser la víctima. Los datos se analizaron en función de la exactitud y calidad de los relatos, y se representaron gráficamente mediante Visualización Hiperdimensional (HDV). En el experimento 1 (inter-sujetos) los relatos de las víctimas simuladas contenían más alusiones a procesos cognitivos, más auto-referencias y menos cambios de orden. En el experimento 2 (intra-sujetos) los relatos de las víctimas simuladas también contenían más alusiones a procesos cognitivos y más auto-referencias, pero además fueron menos exactos y aportaron menos información irrelevante y más juicios y comentarios personales. Los gráficos HDV indican que los relatos falsos difieren holísticamente de los reales

Análisis del expediente judicial: Evaluación de la validez de la prueba testifical / Analysis of the judicial file: assessing the validity of testimony

En el marco del enfoque holístico para la evaluación de la prueba testifical (HELPT), el presente trabajo describe un protocolo para el análisis de toda aquella información susceptible de ser extraída de un expediente judicial, a la luz de los conocimientos del procesamiento heurístico de la información, y del análisis de los factores de influencia de las declaraciones desde la Psicología del Testimonio. El objetivo es brindar una sistematización de los tópicos que pudieran explorarse en un expediente, ya sea como parte de un peritaje directo o como un metaperitaje, extrayendo el máximo de información no sesgada a fin de establecer las hipótesis relevantes del caso y valorar los posibles factores de influencia

Under the holistic approach to the assessment of testimony (HELPT), this paper describes a protocol for the analysis of all the information that can be extracted from a judicial file, regarding the knowledge of heuristic principles and psychology of testimony. The aim is to provide a systematization for expert reports about the topics that could be explored in a file, extracting the maximum unbiased information to establish the relevant hypotheses of the case and evaluate possible factors of influence

Modelo Holístico de Evaluación de la Prueba Testifical (HELPT) / A holistic model for the evalutation of the testimony (Helpt)

En este trabajo se presenta una propuesta de protocolo de evaluación de las declaraciones e identificaciones realizadas por posibles víctimas de delitos. El protocolo, denominado HELPT, se enmarca en un enfoque holístico de evaluación de la prueba testifical que considera todos los posibles factores de influencia: de codificación, de retención y de recuperación. Entre estos factores resultarán relevantes a) la capacidad para testificar de las víctimas, donde se tienen en cuenta los procesos cognitivos de atención, percepción, memoria y lenguaje; b) las características específicas del delito; c) los antecedentes del hecho evaluado y sus consecuencias; d) otros factores que pudieran afectar a la calidad y exactitud de las declaraciones e identificaciones, como el número de veces que la víctima tuvo que contar lo ocurrido, los métodos empleados para obtener el relato y posibilidades de sugestión. El método contempla procedimientos específicos de análisis exhaustivo de los expedientes y de formulación y contrastación de hipótesis (Scott y Manzanero, 2015), de evaluación de la competencia para testificar (Contreras, Silva y Manzanero, 2015) y de obtención de las declaraciones (González, Muñoz, Sotoca y Manzanero, 2013)

A proposed protocol for evaluating the statements and identifications made by the potential victims of crimes is presented in this paper. The protocol, called HELPT, is part of a holistic approach to evaluating the testimony that takes into account all possible factors of influence: encoding, retention and recovery. Among these factors, the following will be relevant: a) the ability of victims to testify, as well as cognitive processes of attention, perception, memory and language; b) the specific characteristics of the offence; c) the history of the event and its consequences; d) other factors that might affect the quality and accuracy of the statements and identifications, such as the number of times the victim had to tell what happened, the methods used to obtain the story and possibilities of suggestion. The method includes specific procedures for exhaustive analysis of the testimonies and for the formulation and testing of hypotheses (Scott & Manzanero, 2015), the evaluation of the competence to testify (Contreras, Silva, & Manzanero, 2015) and the obtaining of statements (González, Muñoz, Sotoca, & Manzanero, 2013)

Evaluating the Credibility of Statements Given by Persons With Intellectual Disability / Evaluación de la credibilidad de relatos de personas con discapacidad intelectual

The objective of this study was to analyze the features that distinguish statements given by actual and simulated victims with mild to moderate intellectual disability, using the credibility analysis procedure known as Reality Monitoring (RM). Two evaluators trained in credibility analysis procedures using content criteria evaluated 13 true statements and16 false statements. The results obtained show that there is little difference between the two types of statements when analyzed on the basis of content criteria using the RM procedure. The only criteria that proved to be significant for discriminating between the two types of statements were the amount of details and the length of spontaneous statements obtained through free recall. None of the phenomenological characteristics studied turned out to be significant for discriminating between actual and simulated victims. Graphic representation using high-dimensional visualization(HDV) with all criteria taken into consideration shows that the two types of statements are quite heterogeneous. Cluster analysis can group cases with a 68.75% chance of accuracy

El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en analizar las características diferenciales de los relatos emitidos por víctimas reales y simuladas con discapacidad intelectual ligera y moderada mediante el procedimiento de análisis de credibilidad de Control de la Realidad (RM). Dos evaluadores entrenados en los procedimientos de análisis de credibilidad mediante criterios de contenido evaluaron 13 relatos verdaderos y 16 relatos falsos. Los resultados encontrados muestran que existen pocas diferencias entre los dos tipos de relatos. Los únicos criterios que resultan significativos para discriminar entre los dos tipos de relatos son la cantidad de detalles y la longitud de las declaraciones espontáneas obtenidas mediante recuerdo libre. Ninguna de las características fenomenológicas examinadas resultó significativa para discriminar entre víctimas reales y simuladas. La representación gráfica mediante visualización hiperdimensional (HDV) considerando conjuntamente todos los criterios muestra una gran heterogeneidad entre relatos. Un análisis de conglomerados permitió clasificar los dos tipos de relatos con una probabilidad de acierto del 68.75 por ciento

(The null) Importance of police experience on intuitive credibility of people with intellectual disabilities.

In the present study, the intuitive ability of police to discriminate between real and false statements of people with mild and moderate (IQ range=50-80, average=60.0) intellectual disabilities (ID) was analyzed. The assessments issued by groups with different levels of experience in police techniques (psychology students, and police officers) were compared. The results showed no differences between the two groups in their ability to discriminate (d'=0.785 and d'=0.644, respectively). When the experience of the police was taken into consideration, no differences were found between "experienced" and "novice" police officers (d'=0.721 and d'=0.582, respectively). No differences were found in response criteria, which were neutral in all cases. Moreover, 34.73% of cases evaluated by the inexperienced group were incorrectly discriminated, in comparison to the 37.75% of incorrect assessments made by police. The implications of the limited ability of intuition to discriminate between real and simulated victims with ID, which did not yield significant differences between experienced and inexperienced assessors in obtaining and assessing statements, are discussed. In light of the results of this study, it is concluded that adequate resources and standardized procedures to properly address people with ID who come into contact with the police and judicial institutions need to be provided.

Prevalence of disabled people involved in Spanish Civil Guard's police activity.

Improving interventions with victims and offenders with disabilities requires analysis of the degree of prevalence of crimes in which these people are involved. For this purpose, data regarding interventions made by the Spanish Civil Guard between 2008 and 2010, in which 2099 people had some kind of disability, have been collected and analyzed, with particular regard to criminal offenses (felonies and/or misdemeanors). In this study, the relationship between the types of disability a person has and other variables like their connection to the incident, their gender, age, the relationship between victim and perpetrator, and the time and place of the events were all taken into consideration. The results show that most of the victims with disabilities served by the Spanish Civil Guard were male. The interventions were mainly aid and rescues. Criminal offenses were only 20% of the events.

Propuesta de protocolo para la conducción de la prueba preconstituida en víctimas especialmente vulnerables / No disponible

La prueba preconstituida es una fórmula jurídica que en los casos de víctimas especialmente vulnerables tiene dos objetivos fundamentales: por un lado, proteger el testimonio de la víctima (indicio cognitivo) del deterioro derivado de múltiples e inadecuados abordajes, y por otro, evitar la revictimización provocada por el sistema policial y de justicia. Conscientes de la ayuda que la Psicología Jurídica puede realizar al desarrollo de esta diligencia procesal, en el presente artículo se desarrolla una propuesta para la conducción de la prueba preconstituida basada en los conocimientos provenientes de la Psicología del Testimonio y de la Psicología de la Victimización Criminal además de la experiencia práctica de psicólogos criminalistas y forenses (AU)

The preconstituted evidence is a legal formula that in cases of especially vulnerable victims has two main objectives: a) protect the victim’s testimony (cognitive evidence) of the subsequent deterioration of multiple and inappropriate interventions, b) avoid revictimization due on its way through the criminal process. In this paper a protocol for the development of preconstituted evidence is presented based on the knowledge of the Psychology of Testimony and the Psychology of Criminal Victimization in addition to the practical experience of criminologists and forensic psychologists, aware of the support that the Forensic Psychology can bring to the development of this procedural stage (AU)

Effects of presentation format and instructions on the ability of people with intellectual disability to identify faces.

The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of presentation format and instructions on the ability of people with intellectual disability to identify individuals they did not know and had seen only briefly. With this objective in mind, 2 groups of subjects with mild to moderate intellectual disability were shown a photograph of a person and, after a distracting task, were asked to identify that person in 2 line-ups (target-absent and target-present) with 6 photographs each, where 2 types of instructions (neutral vs specific, between-subject design) and 2 presentation formats (simultaneous vs sequential, within-subject design) for the line-up photographs were used. Each subject completed 4 trials. The results showed that, generally speaking, people with intellectual disability were capable of distinguishing the face of a person previously seen under all these conditions. There was a significantly higher incidence of false alarms, however, when the photographs were presented sequentially and when specific instructions were not given. With specific instructions designed to lessen the social desirability effect and increase motivation for the task, false alarms on the target-absent line-up were reduced. The results were discussed with a view to their applicability in legal and law enforcement contexts.