eye witness testimony Flashcards
what is an eyewitness
someone who has seen a crime and is usually present at the time of the incident
what is an eyewitness testimony
the evidence provided in court by a person who witnessed a crime
what things impact EWT
tiredness
drugs/alcohol
psychological state (anxiety)
distractions
what is misleading info
incorrect info is given to a person, usually after the event that distorts their memory
who conducted a study on misleading information
loftus and palmer
how did loftus and palmer study misleading info
45 students shown 7 traffic accident films
students given a questionnaire
one question about how fast the cars were going (each with a different verb)
smashed, contacted, bumped etc
what were the findings of loftus and palmers study of misleading info
verb and mean speed estimated
smashed - 40.5 mph
bumped - 38.1
contacted - 31.8
what was the conclusion of loftus and palmers study of misleading information
‘smashed’ has connotations with increased speed - speed estimated higher
misleading info can distort eyewitness testimony
how did loftus and palmer conduct a second study
150 students shown a film (multi vehicle accident)
ppts were asked questions abt it + then spilt into 3 groups
a week later were asked did you see broken glass (there was none)
what were the findings of loftus and palmer’s second study
g1 - 14% said they saw glass
g2 - 38%
g3 - 12%
what was the conclusion of loftus and palmers second study
ppts who has the more serious verb of smashed were more likely to report broken glass
what is a leading question
a question that either by form or content, suggest a desired answer or leads a witness to believe a desired answer
why do leading questions affect EWT
response bias
substitution
what is response bias
the wording of the question has no real affect on memory only how they chose to answer
what is substitution
suggests that the wording of a leading question changes a ppts memory
