Eye Witness Testimony Flashcards
What’re the two factors effecting EWT?
Misleading information
Anxiety
What is misleading information?
Information which may lead to a witness’ memories being attached
What’re the two types of misleading information?
Leading questions
Post-event discussions
What study looked into Leading questions?
Loftus + Palmer, found that the more violent the important word in the question on the car’s speed the higher the speed was given by ppts. One group had the unbiased word “hit”, whilst the other got different words.
Also when asked a week later if they had seen glass on the floor, the ppts with the most violent words recorded the most glass, despite there never being any.
What study looked into Post-event discussions?
Gabbert - paired ppts were each shown either footage of a crime from the front or back, they were then allowed to talk about what they saw before being interviewed on what they had seen. 71% of ppts reported stuff from the other person’s footage.
What’re the methodological issues with EWT studies?
Expectation: what do they think would probably happen?
Consequentiality: does it really matter?
Which study proved the issues with consequentiality?
Foster et al proved that ppts gave better info when they believed there was higher stakes
What are the individual differences with Misleading information? Study?
Yarmy - found older (45yr - 65yr old) were just as accurate as younger people when giving EWTs, but were much less confident
Which study proves children cannot perform the same as adults when giving EWTs?
Poole + Lindsay - children mixed information from class with additional information given by parents when they got home, when they were asked the next day what they had learned in class.
What study proved the Weapon Focus Effect, and that anxiety has a negative effect on EWT?
Johnson + Scott - ppts faced with man with knife covered in blood recalled his features worse than when the man had a pen and was covered in grease.
Which study suggested that anxiety might not have a negative effect on EWT?
Christianson + Hubrinette - All ppts were involved in bank robberies, all provided over 75% of recall accurately.
What does the Yerkes - Dodson curve attempt to explain?
Up to a peak point, anxiety has a positive effect on recall, then after that peak point the anxiety just harms recall.
What is the catastrophe effect?
The idea that rather than there being a gradual decrease in effectiveness of anxiety during recall, you hit a point and lose all ability to recall.
What’re the individual differences for Anxiety?
Bothwell - personality types:
Stable - recall improved as anxiety increases
Neurotic - recall decreases as anxiety increases
