Fiabilidad del testimonio de testigos presenciales en Ecuador, síntesis sistemática con PRISMA, RoB 2 y Grade

Authors

Mary Germania Orovio Ayovi
Hugo Milton Oyola Cortez

Abstract

Introduction: The reliability of human testimony is one of the most complex and debated topics at the intersection of the psychology of testimony, cognitive psychology, and legal sciences. Eyewitness and victim testimonies have historically played a central role in criminal justice systems, often being the only or most relevant evidence available in numerous legal proceedings. However, decades of empirical research have demonstrated that human memory does not operate as a faithful recording of lived events, but rather as a reconstructive process, susceptible to multiple sources of distortion. Materials and methods: This systematic review aimed to synthesize and critically evaluate the available scientific evidence on the factors that influence the reliability of human testimony in forensic and judicial contexts, with particular attention to advances in cognitive psychology and the development of testimonial assessment protocols. The PRISMA 2020 protocol was applied for conducting and reporting the review, including 50 primary studies selected from a systematic search of the Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, and SciELO databases, with a time range from 2010 to 2024. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the RoB 2 tool, while the certainty of the evidence was graded using the GRADE system. Results: The results show that factors such as peritraumatic stress, exposure time to the event, post-event influence, and memory retrieval conditions significantly impact testimonial accuracy. Cognitive interview protocols and the NICHD model showed the strongest evidence of validity for obtaining reliable testimonies. Discussion: The certainty of the evidence was rated as moderate to high for cognitive factors and as low for the application of protocols in Latin American contexts, highlighting a significant gap between the production of scientific knowledge and its implementation in the region's legal systems. Conclusions: It is concluded that the implementation of standardized testimonial evaluation protocols is essential for improving justice systems, and it is recommended that the validation of these protocols in Latin American samples and the development of training programs for judicial officers be prioritized.

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