Memory for License Plates

The purpose of this study is to determine which
United States license plate(s) are best designed for
recall. Based on what we know of human memory
in terms of numbers, letters, and their combinations,
this study aims to identify the “ideal” license plate
for citizens to remember. This study’s results will be
applicable in criminal cases, as well as in identifying
vehicles involved in AMBER Alerts and Silver Alerts.
There are many studies that have examined eyewitness
memory for crimes in younger adults and older
adults. In this study, we will examine the effects of
age on memory for license plates. We want to determine
which license plates are better remembered by
younger and older adults. We hypothesize that the
organization of letters and numbers on the license plate will have a larger effect on older adults than
on younger adults because older adults need more
memory support.