Eyewitness testimony

Question 1

what can lead to a conviction?

Answer 1

1) Conformity: of juries
2) confirmation bias: seek out info to confirm our beliefs
3) Ambiguity: make ambiguous info fit schemas
4) stress and anxiety: more stress = less accuracy
a) weapon focus

Question 2

Weapon focus

Answer 2

why? - attention is on the gun not elsewhere

OR - the unexpectedness draws our attention is

Question 3

Leading questions

Answer 3

memory = fragile and easily influenced

• loftus & Palmer (1974)
• Retroactive & proactive interference

Question 4

How are memories distorted?

Answer 4

1) missattribution of source
2) social pressure: please questioner
3) overwritting effect: misleading q’s overwrite mems

Question 5

Cognitive interviewing techniques

Answer 5

1) recall backwards
2) recall trivial information
3) others’ perspectives
4) rebuild environment

Question 6

What overwriting factors are there that distort memory?

Answer 6

Vacant slot: misleading info accepted when missing from original trace
Coexistence: original and post event information coexist. Post event information is selected because:
(1) conformity, or (2) misattributed
Blend: Eyewitnesses ‘accept’ misleading information after event. Information becomes part of the original event memory
Response bias: issues relating to way in which study is conducted