Cognitive Approach - Contemporary Debate: The reliability of eye-witness testimony

Question 1

what is the main focus of this debate

Answer 1

the reliability of eyewitness testimonies
–> 69% of exonerations based on DNA having involved eyewitness misidentification

Question 2

what is the main example used in this debate

Answer 2

the case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton

Question 3

outline what happened in ‘the case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton’

Answer 3

• due to a flawed EWT, Ronal Cotton was wrongfully convicted for rape against Jennifer Thompson (1985)
• after a while, DNA testing showed no match to Cotton = all charges are dismissed against Ronald Cotton
• he was released in (1995) after serving 10.5 yrs

Question 4

who + what do they say reduced the reliability of eyewitness testimony ‘in the case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronal Cotton’

Answer 4

• American psychologist Gary Wells
• when the real person isn’t there, witnesses pick the person who looks most like them (Ronald Cotton and Bobby Poule (the real guy) looked very similar
• Jennifer Thompson took 5 mins to study the line up, Garry Wells said that it should’ve been instantaneous if it was a strong memory
• Garry wells also says that reinforcement alters memory and if she had been picking him all along before court = during court she would then remain positive that it was him

Question 5

what suggestions does Garry Wells make in order to improve eyewitness testimony

Answer 5

• show Jennifer the line up photos/people one at a time, so she compares them directly with her memory rather than to one another
• also have someone independent carry out the line up, not the police

Question 6

what are the AOs in this debate

Answer 6

• AO1: using research studies or examples from real life (Ronald Cotton)
• AO2: Discussion and social/ethical implications

Question 7

What are the main points to use when evaluating EWT

Answer 7

• Own race bias :(
• Post event discussion :(
• flash bulb memory :)
• schemas :(

Question 8

Outline a paragraph for own race bias

Answer 8

• individuals are better distinguishing between faces of the same race, but poorer with faces of another
• Harvard, Memon and Humphries concluded: in a suspect line-up, the more contact children had with people of a different race, the more accurate they were in identifying an individual of another race
• Suggests unreliability when identifying people of a different race
• Therefore reliability decreases in EWT if the witness had little contact with the other race —> we shouldn’t rely on EWT
• the implications of this could ruin people’s lives, e.g. Ronald Cotton (black) who was misidentified by Jennifer Thompson (white) and served 10 years as a result
• HOWEVER —> Yaros’ research found that Asian participants could identify the smallest of changes between faces of their own race (even when morphed only 20%)
• suggests EWT can be reliable when identifying races that individuals are familiar with

Question 9

Outline a paragraph for Post event discussion

Answer 9

• discussions between EWs after the crime —> inaccurate testimonies: combining existing info with other people’s recollections = creates a new false memory
• Gabbert et al (2003), investigated effect of post event discussion
• witnesses watched a video of a girl stealing money from a wallet. Control = tested individually, other group = tested in pairs and discussed the crime together (both saw the video from different perspectives)
• 71% in co-discussion recalled info that they hadn’t seen, 60% said she was guilty despite not seeing the crime
• suggests that when there is an opportunity to do post event discussion —> risk for false memories —> risk of injustice
• Example of this: 1995 Oklahoma bombings with 168 casualties, Memon and Wright (1999) found that after the media reported that one person saw 2 bombers, the rest of the witnesses said the same, despite not doing so initially
• therefore memory = unreliable
• if large group of people confabulates = could waste time/resources/money trying to find the 2nd guy
• HOWEVER: can be useful when full extent of crime cannot be seen by a single witness
• so while they may not be reliable, they can have some beneficial use

Question 10

Outline a paragraph for flash bulb memory

Answer 10

• when we experience something very emotionally shocking, we create a long-lasting memory (flash bulb-memory)
• because adrenaline released during a crime enhances the storage of memories as it activates the amygdala that something important has happened and may lead to more reliable memories
• evidence of this: McGaugh and Cahill’s (1995) - participants who heard the more emotionally arousing story about a boy having his feet severed in an accident, demonstrated better recall than those who were told a story about a boring hospital visit. Therefore concluded: amygdala plays a role in creating memories linked to emotional arousal
• suggests we should rely on EWT because memory is more reliable due to the emotion of the crime and adrenaline of the moment
• benefits society: more accurate depiction of crime —> accurate convictions —> prevents innocent people having unfair conviction
• HOWEVER. Counterintuitive as other psychologists say - people are more likely to suppress highly stressful and horrific memories so it doesn’t cause psychological harm. E.g. Freud suggests repression as an ego defence mechanism
• therefore key details may be forgotten —> inconsistencies in EWT and hence in testimony

Question 11

Outline a paragraph for schemas

Answer 11

• schemas help us process information quickly, 1 drawback is that the info already held in our schemas may distort our memory of an event or subject
• Yarmey et al (1993) 240 students looked at 30 videos of unknown males and classify them as ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’
• there’s high agreement —> suggests similarity in info stored in ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ schemas
• these schemas for bad guys therefore may influence the person that the EW may select
• e.g. Ronald Cotton: Jennifer Thomas’ schema for criminals (derived from news reports and media) leading to inaccurate recollection of events as her decision was based on stereotypes —> due to racists attitudes of 1980s he was wrongfully convicted
• HOWEVER: RapeCrisis reports that 90% of rapists are known to victims —> EWT ability to identify participants is likely to be reliable, even when crimes are incredibly traumatic