Virtual avatar-to-avatar interviews may improve eyewitness testimony

Virtual avatar-to-avatar eyewitness interviews may increase the quantity and quality of recalled information compared to face-to-face interviews. A first-of-its-kind study shows that eyewitnesses of a mock car theft provided as much as 60 percent more information when interviewed in an avatar-to-avatar context compared to face-to-face interviews. Study participants also found it easier to talk to the avatar and were more likely to admit when they didn’t know the answer to a question.