Eyewitness Testimony Flashcards
Marvin Lamont Anderson
spent 15 years in prison for raping and beating a woman before being exonerated by DNA
Luis Diaz
Convicted of 8 Rapes in Florida based on 6 inaccurate eyewitness identifications. Spent 67 years in prison and was then released.
Innocence Project
uses DNA evidence to exonerate innocent defendents
Influences on Memory
- distortion in perspcriptin and encoding of the event
-recency effects
-primacy effects
-Source memory problems
-post memory suggestions/feedback about accuracy
Ronald Cotton
Falsely accused of raping Jennifer Thompson- she thought it was him bc she looked the man in the eyes during the attack. 10 years later DNA evidence provided his innocence.
Estimator Variables
Factors over which the criminal justice system has little to no control
System Variables
Factors that are directly under the control of the criminal justice system, such as lineup and questioning techniques
Estimator Variables: 3 Estimator Variables
1) Witness factors
2) Target factors
3) Situational Factors
TARGET FACTORS
Weak/Nininfluential factors
Attractiveness and Gender
TARGET FACTORS
Reliable/Strong factors
Cross race identification, disguises
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
weak/noninfluential factors
Giving verbal descriptions
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
Reliable /Moderate Factors
Stress and violence
Mug shot searches
Own gender identification - Better at identifying own gender than opposite gender
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
reliable/strong factors
Darkness
Exposure duration
Alcohol
Passage of time
Target factors
Reliable/strong factors
Target distinctiveness
