Does Eye Closure Improve Eyewitness Memory Recall? Many researchers who have conducted several studies on this subject have asked themselves this question. By closing one's eyes, one can block external factors that interfere with one's attempt to produce a mental image, thus increasing one's memory of an event one has witnessed. According to Reisberg (2013), during visual perception and visual imagery, the same areas of brain tissue are equally active. Therefore, when one witnesses a live event and then tests it, the accuracy of responses may decrease due to the brain recreating the event as a visual image and exhibiting disruptions . By closing your eyes, you reduce the risk of mixing up your thoughts, causing memory errors (Vredeveldt and Penrod, 2013). The concept of closing the eyes is linked to meditation, which causes relaxation of the mind. Previous research has shown that when a person relaxes their mind, they can focus more on remembering an event because they block out all other visual and auditory interruptions (Wagstaff et al. 2010). Results from other studies have demonstrated strong evidence that supports the idea that eye closure affects memory when recalling a witnessed event. According to Wagstaff et al. (2010), after conducting three experiments, it was noted that combining eye closure with focused meditation may possibly be more helpful than using just one in certain situations. Likewise, even though it is no longer as popular or widely used as it once was, hypnosis can still be used to help people remember things. This is because they both produce very similar results. With meditation, participants could put themselves in a very relaxed state, helping to block out unnecessary and disturbing elements...... middle of paper ....... (2012). Environmental visual distraction during retrieval affects the quality, not quantity, of eyewitness memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 26(2), 296-300. Reisberg, D. (2013). Cognition: exploring the science of the mind. New York: W. W. Norton. Vredeveldt, A., Hitch, GJ and Baddeley, AD (2011). Closing your eyes helps memory by reducing cognitive load and improving visualization. Memory and Cognition, 39(7), 1253-1263. Vredeveldt, A. and Penrod, SD (2013). Closing the eyes improves memory for an event observed in naturalistic conditions. Psychology, Crime & Law, 19(10), 893-905. Wagstaff, G.F., Wheatcroft, J.M., Burt, C.L., Pilkington, H.J., Wilkinson, K., & Hoyle, J.D. (2011). Improving witness memory through focused meditation and eye closure: Assessing the effects of misinformation. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 26(2), 152-161.