Class test - Memory Flashcards
What were the findings of Gabbet et al?
Researchers found that 71% of the participants mistakenly recalled aspects of the event that they did not see in the video but had picked up the discussion.
The corresponding figure in a control group where there was no discussion was 0%
Conclusion: This experiment is evident for memory conformity
Define ‘anxiety’
A feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.
In relation to EWT it is the worry or fear caused by witnessing an event such as an accident or crime
What does the inverted ‘U’ theory demonstrate about eye witness memory and anxiety?
The more alert/anxious you are up until the optimum point the better your memory as an eye witness will be.
However after that moptimum point is when your memory peprformance levels will begin to decrease and you may find you forget more due to anxiety levels
What research is there to demonstrate the effects of anxiety on eyewitness testimony?
Deffenbacher (1983): Meta-analysis of 21 studies. Found that eye witness testimony was affected by anxiety or stress in a way that followed the Yerkes Dodson curve
What conflicting research is there on memory of a crime?
Yuille and Cutshall (1986)
-LOOK IN MEMORY BOOKLET
What is meant by the term weapon focus?
Where a witness focuses their attention on the weapon being used in a crime.
This causes a state of anxiety which leads to difficulties in recalling other details accurately.
What is the cognitive interview?
A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories.
It uses 4 main techniques all based on evidence based on psychological knowlege of human memory.
What are the 4 main techniques used for the cognitive interview?
- Report everything
- Reinstate the context
- Reverse the order
- Change perspective
Explain the ‘report everything’ technique
Witnesses encouraged to include every single detail of the event, meven though it may seem irrelevant or the witness doesnt feel confident in it
Seemingly trivial details may be important and trigger important memories
Explain the ‘reinstate the context’ technique
Witness should return to the original crime scene ‘in their mind’ and imagine the environment and their emotions.
Related to context-dependant forgetting
What is meant by the ‘Reverse the order’ technique?
Events should be recalled in a different order from the original sequence e.g. from final point back to beginning.
This is done to prevent people reporting their expectations of how the event must of happened rather than reporting the actual events.
Also prevents dishonesty (its harder for people to produce an untruthful account if they have to revrse it)
What is meant by the ‘change perspective’ technique?
- Witnesses should recall the incident from other peoples perspectives, e.g. how it would have appeared to other witnesses or to the perpatrator.
- This again is done to disrupt the effect of expectations and also the effect of schema on recall
What was the experiment that supported the weapon focus?
Johnson & Scott:
Staged a crime scene, ppts asked to wait to start an experiment but actually the waiting was the experiment because there were two conditions. Two conditions (independent groups):
- Either heard a discussion & walked past them with a greasy pen
- Either heard a discussion & walked past them with a bloody letter opener
Variables all the same- same waiting room, same actors etc
What were Johnson & Scotts findings?
- Those who had witnessed the man holding a pen correctly identified the suspect 49% of the time
- Compared to those who had witnessed the man holding a knife who only correctly identified the target 33% of the time
- Ppts who were exposed to knife had higher levels of anxiety & were more likely to focus their attention on the weapon & not the face of the target.
What was the other study conducted by loftus & which also supports the weapon focus?
- Presented subject-witnesses with a series of slides depicting an event in a fast-food resturant
Half of subjects saw a customer point gun at cashier; other half saw him hand cashier a check
In experiment 1 eye movements were recorded while subjects viewed the slides
Results showed that subjects made more eye fixations on weapon than on check
In experiment 2 memory of subjects in the weapon condition was poorer than the memory of subjects in the check condition
These results provide the first direct empirical support for weapon focus
