eyewitness testimony Flashcards
(16 cards)
what is eyewitness testimony
where a person who was present at an event recalls what happened. It is often used as evidence in court but eyewitness can be unreliable
factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony
misleading information
anxiety
misleading information
accuracy of eyewitness testing can be altered after the event by exposing the witness to misleading information during post event discussion
procedure and findings of misleading information
loft and parmer (1974) conducted a study.
45 participants were shown the same video clips of car crash. the particpients were divided into 5 groups and they were all asked the same question with different verb used each time.
The more intensive verbs rather than least influenced the participant to estimate a higher speed. This shows that leading can affect eyewitness testimony.
anxiety
Another factor affecting eyewitness testimony is the witness’ anxiety levels. This is particularly relevant when witnesses are recalling anxiety-inducing events, such as violent crimes.
deffenbacher
(1983)
suggested an inverted u hypothesis. Moderate amount of anxiety produces the most accurate. However, to little or too much anxiety reduces the accuracy of eyewitness testimony
A03: Inverted u hypothesis
The Inverted U Hypothesis simplifies the relationship between stress and performance. The actual process is more complex, with individual differences such as personality, coping mechanisms, and previous experience playing a role. It doesn’t account for why some people can perform well under high stress (e.g., “stress-resistant” individuals) or why others may perform poorly under mild stress.
Christianson and Hubinette (1993) found that witnesses to real-life bank robberies who experienced high levels of anxiety had accurate recall. This suggests that real-life stressors may lead to better memory recall, which may not always align with findings from lab studies (suggesting too much anxiety impairs recall).
A03: misleading info (limitations)
Demand Characteristics
Participants may guess the purpose of the study and change their answers accordingly. Especially in Loftus & Palmer – they may report higher speeds due to expectations from verbs like “smashed”. As their answer isn’t based on actual memory, but on what they think they’re expected to say. It lowers internal validity
Lack of Ecological Validity -Artificial settings: Watching videos of car crashes isn’t emotionally arousing like real-life accidents. Lacks emotional impact, which could affect memory differently. Yuille and Cutshall (1986) found EWT can be accurate in real-life armed robbery.
Improving the accuracy of eyewitness
The Cognitive interview
R - report everything
C - reinstatement the context
O - Reverse the order
P - Change in perspective
reinstatement the context
CL is when the interviewer encourages the interviewee to mentally recreate physical and psychological environment of the original incident.
report everything
witness is encouraged to report all the details even if they seem irrelevant. As memories are interconnected, so may provide cues allowing to trigger further info.
Reverse the order
recalling the event in a different order, which would also increase the accuracy of testimony by reducing the effect of the witness’ schema
Change in Perspective
Recreate the event from anothers perspective, also increase the accuracy of eyewitness testimony by reducing the effect of the witness’ scheme
A03: Cognitive Interview
Research Support for the Cognitive Interview: Geiselman et al. (1985) conducted a study in which participants watched a video of a crime and were interviewed using either a standard interview or the Cognitive Interview. The CI led to a significantly greater amount of correct information being recalled by the participants compared to the standard interview.
Prevention of Inaccurate Testimony: The CI method can minimise the risk of misleading information, such as leading questions, which is often a problem in traditional police interviews. This makes these methods especially valuable in reducing false testimony in the justice system.
Time-Consuming: The Cognitive Interview are both time-consuming, requiring longer interviews and more extensive training for interviewers. This can make them less practical in some real-world police situations, especially when the police need to interview large numbers of witnesses quickly.
Not Always Effective with All Witnesses: The Cognitive Interview is most effective when the witness is motivated, calm, and able to concentrate. In cases of trauma or extreme stress, witnesses may find it difficult to accurately recall memories, and techniques like context reinstatement may not be as effective. The CI may also be less effective with young children, people with learning difficulties, or those who have difficulty understanding the interviewer’s instructions. Tailoring the CI for different populations may reduce its overall efficacy.
Cognitive interview
Fisher and Gelselman argued that eyewitness testimony could be improved if the police officer used better techniques when interviewing witness. Fisher and Gelselman recommended that such techniques should be based on psychological insights into how memory works and called these technique collectively the cognitive interview to indicate its foundation in cognitive psychology. These are 4 main techniques that are used.
strength for misleading info
- Real-world applications
Loftus’ research has had a significant impact on the criminal justice system. It shows that EWT is unreliable and can be easily distorted by leading questions or co-witness discussion. This has led to improvements in police interview techniques, such as the Cognitive Interview, which avoids leading questions. This demonstrates high practical value. - Controlled lab experiments
Studies like Loftus & Palmer used standardised procedures, high control over variables, and can be replicated. This gives the research high internal validity and helps establish cause and effect (e.g., the verb used causes a change in recall).
