Cognitive Key Question - Is eye witness testimony too unreliable to trust?

Question 1

What is eyewitness testimony?

Answer 1

• EWT refers to the information given by a witness after seeing an event or crime occur
• This is recorded in a police statement or given as verbal testimony in a court trial
• EWT is used to corroborate forensic evidence although jurors may find forensic evidence more difficult to understand
• So they are more dependent on testimony given by a witness
• In absence of forensic evidence the information given by a witness can be influential

Question 2

What was the scenario?

Answer 2

• Michael Brown was 18 black person from America
• He was confronted by a police officer Daren Wilson while with his friend
• After the confrontation, Brown and his friend ran away from the police ending with shots being fired by Wilson 6 of those bullets was found to have hit Brown in his front killing him
• Wilson claimed to shot for self defense
• Key aspect was that Wilson did not wear a body camera and there was no CCTV footage, so mainly relied on EWT

Question 3

Results from investigation

Answer 3

• Various recollections of the event
• There

Question 4

Why is this an issue for society?

Answer 4

• According to the Innocence Project, which works to exonerate people it believes that have been convicted of capital crimes in the past few decades
• 1/3 of cases were overturned due to testimony of two or more mistaken eyewitness

Question 5

How can the MSM explain faulty EWT?

Answer 5

• You may confuse details with other events (interference)
• Or you may not have paid attention

Question 6

How can the reconstructive model explain faulty EWT?

Answer 6

• Schemas on white men and young black men