Eyewitness Testimony Flashcards
Give examples of misleading information
Leading Questions, Post event discussion
What is meant by leading questions
One that suggests a certain answer because of the way it is phrased
What is meant by Post-event discussion
Witnesses to an event discuss what they have experienced, this could affect the accuracy of their recall.
When did Loftus and Palmers study take place
1974
Who were the participants in Loftus and Palmers leading Q’s study
45 students
What did the p’s do in Loftus and Palmers leading Q’s study
Watched clips of car accidents, then answered Q’s about speed.
What was the critical Q in Loftus and Palmers leading Q’s study
How fast was the car travelling when they hit each other
How many groups were there and what verbs were given to each group
5 groups, each given a different verb. Hit, collided, bumped, contacted, smashed
What was the mean speed estimated when the verb was ‘contacted’
31.8 mph
What was the mean speed estimated when the verb was ‘smashed’
40.5 mph
What explanations are there for Loftus and palmers study
Response bias and Substitution explanation
What is response bias
Leading Q’s have no enduring impact on the actual memory of the event. It simply influences the subjective part of the answer.
What is substitution explanation
Wording of a question does affect EWT. It creates interference with the original memory, distorting it.
Give an evaluation of Loftus and palmers study based on real world application
Consequences of inaccurate EWT are serious (Steve Titus). Research in this area is important and applicable. Findings and learning should be applied to those involved (Police). Training must be based on this. This is an area where psychologists can have a real impact and improve outcome for all.
Give an evaluation of Loftus and palmers study based on artificiality
One weakness is that L+P’s work was flawed. They showed film clips. This is a very different experience to seeing an incident LIVE. Totally different stress and anxiety. The p’s have less responsibility, they know its a study. Researchers may be too pessimistic about the accuracy of EWT. It may be more reliable and less prone to bias tat shown here.
Explain Gabbart et al. (2003) procedure
Paired p’s watched a video of the same crime. Its filmed so each p could see elements in the video that others couldn’t. Both discuss the video they have seen before individually completing a test of recall.
Explain Gabbart et al. (2003) findings
71% of p’s wrongly recalled aspects they had not seen but had heard in the discussion. Control group (no discussion) = 0 errors. This is evidence of memory conformity.
What is memory contamination an explanation for
Gabbart et al. (2003)
What is memory conformity an explanation for
Gabbart et al. (2003)
What is memory contamination
When co - witnesses have a discussion they mix misinformation from other witnesses with their own memory
What is memory conformity
Witnesses go along with other views as a result of NSI or ISI.
Give an evaluation based on supporting memory conformity (Gabbart et al. (2003))
One limitation is that evidence doesn’t support memory conformity. Alternative research had p’s watch a film clip. In one version the mugger had dark brown hair and the other light brown. P’s recall was a blend (medium brown hair) despite what they had heard from other witnesses. This suggests that memory contamination is a much better explanation.
Give an evaluation based on control (Gabbart et al. (2003))
Lab studies such as these give high levels of control over variables. Therefore, they have high internal validity. They can show causation.
Give an evaluation of demand characteristics (Gabbart et al. (2003))
Lab studies suffer from demand characteristics. P’s want to help so will always guess when unsure (low internal validity). Therefore, studies should be designed to give as little cue as possible to the type of answer the researcher wants. This may improve internal validity.
