Factors Affecting EWT; Misleading Information

Question 1

What are leading questions?

Answer 1

Questions which suggest a certain answer

Question 2

How do leading questions potentially affect eyewitness testimony?

Answer 2

They don’t affect the actual eyewitness memory but they do affect how someone chooses to answer a question – response bias explanation
OR
The wording of a leading question actually directly interferes with the original memory and distorts the accuracy – substitution explanation

Question 3

What is the key study into misleading information as a factor affecting EWT?

Answer 3

Loftus and Palmer in 1974

Question 4

What was the Loftus Palmer study?

Answer 4

Participants watched a film of a car accident and asked to estimate the speed. Different verbs about speed were used; hit, contacted, bumped, collided, or smashed. Smashed gave the highest estimate 40.5 mph whereas contacted give the lowest of 31.8 mph here recall bias was caused by a leading question.

Question 5

What are postevent discussions?

Answer 5

Discussions after the event between co-witnesses or other individuals, they may contaminate memory as they may be influenced or changed by what others say to them.

Question 6

What is the key study into postevent discussions?

Answer 6

Gabbert et al. 2003

Question 7

What was Gabbert et al’s study in 2003?

Answer 7

Pcps were paired and then watch different versions of the same crime each could see different aspects to the crime that the other couldn’t. They then discussed what they saw and took individual recall tests, 71% make recall errors, 0% of the control group did.

Question 8

What are the evaluation points for misleading information as a Factor affecting eyewitness testimony?

Answer 8

+ strong real life applications

• Loftus and Palmer using artificial scenario
• differences in eye witness testimony may be down to individual differences