Accuracy of EWT: Misleading Information

Question 1

What is response bias as part of the misleading question explanation?

Answer 1

Wording of the question hasn’t altered the memory but has influenced how the eye witness decides to answer

Question 2

What is substitution explanation as part of the misleading question explanation?

Answer 2

Wording of the question changes the participants’ memory

Question 3

What is memory conformity as part of the post-event discussion explanation?

Answer 3

Going along with the other person for social approval or believing the other is right

Question 4

What is memory contamination as part of the post-even discussion explanation?

Answer 4

The co-witness’ account combines and distorts the memory of the witness’ account

Question 5

Describe Loftus and Palmer’s first study on leading questions

Answer 5

• They showed students 7 different films of traffic accidents. After they were asked a critical question: ‘About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other?’ Other 4 groups were given the verbs: smashed, collided, bumped or contacted.
• They found the ‘smashed’ group produced the highest mean speed estimate (40.8), collided, bumped, hit, contacted (31.8)

Question 6

Describe Loftus and Palmer’s second study on leading questions

Answer 6

• To test if the leading question may bias a response or alter info, a new set of participants were divided into 3, shown a film of a car accident then asked about the speed. A week later, they were asked again including a critical question: ‘Did you see any broken glass?’ There was none, but those who thought the car was going faster might think they saw broken glass.
• They found that those in the ‘smashed’ verb condition were more likely to say they had seen broken glass (16 said yes) compared to the hit condition (7 said yes).

Question 7

Describe the conformity effect in post-event discussion

Answer 7

• Gabbert et al investigated that co-witnesses may reach a consensus view of what happened.
• Participants were in pairs where each saw a different video of the same event so each saw unique items. Pairs in 1 condition were encouraged to discuss the event before they had to individually recall it. 71% of witnesses who discussed the event went on to mistakenly recall items acquired in discussion

Question 8

Describe repeat interviewing in post-event discussion

Answer 8

• Every time a witness is interviewed, comments from the interviewer may be incorporated into their recollection. Interviewer may use leading questions and alter memory.
• LaRooy et al found this was especially the case when children were interviewed.

Question 9

What are the 3 stages of eyewitness memory?

Answer 9

1. Witness encodes details of the event into LTM. Encoding may be partial or distorted as crimes are quick, violent, maybe at night.
2. Witness retains info and memories may be lost or modified during retention
3. Witness retrieves memory. Presence or absence of retrieval cues or nature of questioning may affect accuracy

Question 10

Give evaluation for misleading info as an explanation of the accuracy of EWT (research support)

Answer 10

• Braun et al asked college students, who have been to Disneyland as a kid, to evaluate advert material about Disney with misleading info about Bugs Bunny (not a Disney character) or Ariel (not introduced when they were kids.) Participants in the Ariel or Bugs Bunny condition were more likely to report having shaken hands with those characters than in the control group (no misleading info)
• Shows misleading info can create inaccurate memories

Question 11

Give evaluation for misleading info as an explanation of the accuracy of EWT (has lead to practical application)

Answer 11

• Research has been used to warn the justice system of problems with EWT.
• Wells and Olson found that in recent DNA exoneration cases showed mistaken eyewitness identification was the largest factor contributing to the conviction of innocent people.
• Shows the importance of EWT research in ensuring that innocent people aren’t wrongly convicted of a crime on the basis of faulty EWT.

Question 12

Give evaluation for misleading info as an explanation of the accuracy of EW (research lacks external validity)

Answer 12

• Loftus and Palmer’s research lacks external validity as lab experiments may not represent real life as they aren’t as emotionally aroused in the way they would be in real life.
• Foster et al found if participants thought they were watching a real robbery, and responses would affect the trial, then identification of a robber was more accurate.
• Suggests misleading info may have less influence on EWT than Loftus’ research suggests, and when the consequences of misidentifying is high, unlike in lab experiments, then EWT can be accurate despite misleading info.

Question 13

Give evaluation for misleading info as an explanation of the accuracy of EW (research fails to account for individuals differences)

Answer 13

• An EW acquires info from 2 sources, observing the event and subsequent suggestions (misleading info).
• Schacter et al found, compared to younger subjects, elderly people have difficulty remembering the source of their info, even though their memory of the info itself is unimpaired. So they become more prone to the effect of misleading info when giving testimony.
• Suggests individual differences, e.g. age, are important when assessing the reliability of EWT.