Eyewitness Testimony Flashcards
What was the aim of Loftus and Palmer’s research?
To investigate the effect of leading questions on the reliability of eyewitness testimony.
How did Loftus and Palmer conduct their research?
The four groups of participants watched a video of a car crashing. They were asked a variation on the question, “how fast was the car travelling when it hit the other vehicle?” The word hit was substituted for smashed, bumped and collided. The average speed estimation for each group was recorded and conclusions made about the influence of the questions content on the answers given by participants.
What are the four components of the cognitive interview?
- Recalling the events in a different order to which they actually occurred.
- Reinstating the context of the event to trigger cues and associations within the participant.
- Recalling the event from another person’s perspective in an attempt to gain a different insight into how the scenario transpired.
- Trying to remember every minute detail which was present at the event to try and gather every possible piece of information about the scenario.
How might the ethical issue of protection from psychological harm be addressed within research involving eyewitness testimony
Researchers must ensure that the witnesses personal information is completely confidential and never released into the public domain. The media may vilify the witness and their role in the prosecution; alternatively, the criminal’s family may become involved and hurt the witness because of their effect on the person’s punishment.
