accuracy of ewt Flashcards
eyewitness testimony -
- rmb details of events e.g accidents/crimes which they observed,
accuracy can be affected by - misleading info/axniety
misleading info
- incorrect info given to witness after event,
e.g leading questions/post event discussions between co witnesses
leading question
- question which bc of the way its phrased, suggests a specific answer
post event discussion
- co witnesses discuss what they saw ,
- may ifleucen accuracy of each witnesses recall of events
leading questions aim
- Loftus and palmer
investigate how leading questions effect ewt
leading questions, method
-45 ppts watched clips of car accident
- asked to estimate speed of cars
- critical question used diff verbs
e.g hit collided smashed bumped
leading questions, findings
contacted. - mean speed 31.8mph
smashed - mean speed 40.5 mph
leading questions = biased ppts recall of events
why do leading questions effect ewt, explanation 1
response bias explanation
- wording doesn’t change memory
- just influences how ppt wants to answer e.g smashed makes them more likely to give higher speed
why do leading questions effect ewt, , explanation 2
Loftus and palmer second experiment supports theory = subsitution epxliantion
- that wording of leading question = changes ppts memory
study-
- heard smash = more likely to report broken glass , but there wasn’t any
-suggest critical world = changed memory
research on post event discussion, aim
gabbert et al
investigate effect of ped
research on post event discussion, method
- ppts paired, made to watch same crime but from diff viewpoints
- each ppt saw diff things that the other couldn’t see
- after watching, discussed what they saw before taking individual recall tests
research on post event discussion, findings
- 71% ppt- recalled things they hadn’t seen , but picked up from discussion
- control group , no disccussion = error rate =. 0%
why does ped effect ewt, explanation 1
memory contamination
- witnesses memories, become altered bc of discussion
-
research on post event discussion, explanation 2
memory conformity
- gabbert et al - said
- witnesses go along tgth bc they want social approval, they believe other witnesses are correct and they’re wrong
but online first explanation , memory stays unchanged
strength , justice system
p- application to crim justice system
e- incorrect ewt = serious consequences , Loftus found leading questions = change someones memory , meaning police offers have to be careful with how they phrase questions when interviewing
e- psychologists sometimes act as expert witnesses in courts to explain weakness of ewt to juries
l- research = improve legal system , prevents wrongful convictions based on unreliable ewt
limitation , substitution explanations
p- some details in ewt remembered more than other details
e- sutherland and hayne , showed ppl a video, when asked misleading questions, remembered more important details but were worse at recalling less important details
e- shows that they paid more attention to key details, so memory was less harder to change
l - goes against substitution explanation , shows important details stay the same , even if misleading info is given
limitation , memory conformity
p- ped can change persons memory
e - skagerberg and wright , showed diff versions of film clip e.g mugger had dark brown hair in one clip and light brown hair in another, when discussing in pairs, ppts recalled mix of both versions e.g mugger had medium brown hair
e- shows that ppt didnt just go along with what co witness said but formed a whole new memory
l- misleading questions from discussions= changes memory itself, rather than causing 2 ppl to conform
