The verbal overshadowing effect in children and adults is unrelated to the specific content of descriptions

Verbal descriptions of unfamiliar faces have been found to impair later identification of these faces in children and adults, a phenomenon known as the “verbal overshadowing effect” (VOE, Schooler and Engstler-Schooler, 1990). The present study thoroughly examined the person descriptive abilities of 7–8, 10–11, and 13–14-year-old children and adults and their influence on later identification performance. Our aim was to specifically assess the prediction of the “content” account suggesting that a verbal overshadowing arises because participants generate an inadequate verbal description and later rely upon it during retrieval. Results showed a verbal overshadowing effect in all age groups but neither accuracy, length nor content of descriptions were found to be associated with identification accuracy.