EWT Flashcards
What is Eyewitness testimony?
When observers of events are asked to recall from memory details on what they have seen.
What’s reconstructive memory?
Memory is not an accurate recording of events. It is reconstructed in recalling and may produce errors. (Confabulation)
What are leading questions?
Questions that imply a particular answer and influence how memory is recalled. Could be because of emotional pressure to give particular response.
Explain post even contamination/discussion.
When recalling of events by one witness alters the accuracy of recall by another witness. Could be memory conformity, the witness go along with others for social approval.
Explain Loftus and Palmer research.
Pts, 45, were shown clips of traffic accidents. After watching clip they were asked the following critical (leading) question “how fast were the cars going when the _____ into each other” the missing verbs were changed to (smashed, collided,bumped, hit or contacted). Found that the more extreme the verb the faster the estimation of MPH. Contacted = 31.8
Smashed= 40.8
What does loftus and palmer research suggest?
Misleading info in form of leading questions can influence recall of info.
Explain Loftus and Palmer research, pt2.
Pts, 150, were shown a car incident clip without broken glass, after viewing they were asked a question including either verb “hit” or “smashed”. After one week a questionnaire was sent asking “did you see broken glass”. Found that pts were twice as likely in smashed condition respond to yes.
Suggests: effects of misleading info in form of leading questions can be long last and can change memory.
Explain Gabbert research on contaminated EWT.
Videos of crime shot from diff perspectives were shown to pairs of pts. With unique info available in each film. Found 71% of pairs allowed to discuss what they had seen included aspects of film they had not seen in recollection of vid. Compared to 0% of pairs who were not allowed to discuss what they seen.
Suggests: witness change their account of crimes to match other witnesses. May be to seek social approval.
Define anxiety.
Mental state of around sk that includes feelings of extreme concern and tension. Often accompanied by physiological changes such as heart rate increase.
What does anxiety do to EWT?
Decreases recall, research show high level of anxiety produce poor recall of perpetrator. Due to weapon focus. Weapons are a cause of anxiety, witness are distracted, focusing attention to weapon rather than criminal.
Why can it also increase recall?
Anxiety
Improves general alertness/ awareness of situation and surroundings and emotional aspect could improve memory.
Yerks-Dodson Law of Arousal.
What is it?
Higher anxiety and stress = lower accuracy.
High, low anxiety-low memory
Medium anxiety-high memory
Research on anxiety reducing accuracy in EWT.
Loftus- pts places outside a lab, listening to conversations.
Either 1) normal convo about equipments failure, man walks out with greasy hands and a pen. Or 2) breaking glass, furniture knocked over. Man walks out with knife covered in blood. Pts were given 50 photographs and asked to identify the man. Found more identified with man and pen (49%) than knife (33%)
Suggest anxiety took away focus.
Research increasing accuracy of EWT.
Yuille and cutshall- interviewed 13 witnesses to a real life shooting in Canada four months later. Despite using leading questions recall was as high as 88% and those who reported the highest levels of stress at the time gave more accurate response.
Suggest, in real life situations anxiety may not have same effect on witnesses as it seems to pts in lab. Makes more accuracy.
Ao3 on EWT.
Research on accuracy on EWT had led to real life applications - development on cognitive interviews.
