A2 - Making a Case - // - Effect of order of Testimony

Question 1

Background Info: What is primacy and recency effect?

Answer 1

Primacy effect: remembering what is heard or seen first, as it goes into LTM.
Recency effect: remembering what is heard or seen last, as it goes into STM.

Question 2

Background info: What is story and witness order?

Answer 2

Story Order > Defence/prosecution present evidence in chronological order, as events unfolded in crime.
Witness Order > Defence/prosecution present best witness first or last to take advantage of primacy and recency effect.

Question 3

Who did the study?

Answer 3

Pennington & Hastie (1988)

Question 4

What was the aim?

Answer 4

To examine whether story order is superior in gaining a conviction and the extent to which story order affects confidence in those decisions.

Question 5

What is the sample?

Answer 5

130 students from Northwestern University and Chicago University were paid to participate in an hour long experiment.

Question 6

What did participants do?

Answer 6

• They were allocated to one of four conditions (**)
• They listened to a tape recording of a trial > defendant Frank Johnson was charged with killing Alan Caldwell
• Had to: respond to written questions; reach a guilty/non-guilty verdict; rate confidence in own decision (score 1-5).
• No deliberation

Question 7

What was found?

Answer 7

• Story order was MORE effective than witness order in persuasion
• The highest level of confidence in those who heard evidence presented in story order

Question 8

How is the study reductionist?

Answer 8

Focuses solely on story order as means to persuade jury

Question 9

How is the study reliable?

Answer 9

Due to standardised procedure

Question 10

How is the study determinist?

Answer 10

States that judgement is determined by order evidence rather than our own free will

Question 11

How is the sample ethnocentric?

Answer 11

Sample = jurors

Question 12

How is the study low in validity?

Answer 12

Potential demand characteristics, participants may guess what is being investigated.

Question 13

How is the study low in ecological validity?

Answer 13

• Use of mock trial
• Audio tape > witnesses can’t be seen
• No deliberation of the jury
• Decision doesn’t have consequences
• Jury = students (jurors are randomly selected)

Question 14

What are the 6 evaluative issues?

Answer 14

1. Reductionism
2. Reliability
3. Determinism
4. Ethnocentrism
5. Low Validity
6. Low Ecological Validity