Factors Affecting Eye Witness Testimony Flashcards
What is Misleading Information: Leading Questions
A leading question is a question which, because of the way it is phrased, suggests a certain answer
What is the Response Bias Explanation
This occurs when the wording of a question has no enduring effect on an eyewitness’s memory of an event, but influences the kind of answer given
What is the Substitution Explanation
This occurs when the wording of a question does affect eyewitness memory - it interferes with the original memory, distorting its accuracy
Explain the study Loftus and Palmer (1974): Experiment 1
Investigate the effect of leading questions on the accuracy of an eyewitness’s immediate recall. Forty five American students when shown a film about a car crash. When asked a series of question, there was one critical word used (‘hit’, ‘smashed’, ‘collided’, ‘bumped’). Participants then had to estimate the speed the cars collided at, found that the harsher the word used, the higher the speed estimated by the participants. This suggests the response bias has occurred and affected accuracy of eye witness testimony.
Explain the study Loftus and Palmer (1974): Experiment 2
Investigate the effect of leading questions on the accuracy of a person’s memory of an event. 150 American students watched a car accident and were then given a questionnaire. In the two conditions, the verb was changed from ‘hit’ to ‘smashed’. A week later participants were then asked if they saw broken glass, there was not any. The participants in the ‘smashed’ group, had a higher percentage reported of seeing broken glass, which support substitution effect occurring, distorting the participants memory of the event.
Outline a limitation of Loftus and Palmer (1974) study
Loftus’s and Palmer’s research lacks ecological validity
Outline another limitation of Loftus and Palmer (1974) study
Loftus and Palmer’s research lacks population validity
Outline a strength of Loftus and Palmer (1974) study
Loftus and Palmer’s research has a high level of control
What is Misleading Information: Post Event Discussion
Post Event Discussion occurs when conversations take place between witnesses to a crime and this can lead to contamination of their memory for the event. This is because the combine (mis) information from other witnesses with their own memories.
Explain the study Gabbert et al (2003)
Investigate the effect of post event discussion on the accuracy of eye witness testimony. Participants in both conditions watched a video. In the post event discussion group where the participants discussed what had happened, only one had watched a video of a women stealing, however 60% of them reported seeing a woman stealing. This shows that post event discussion can affect negatively the accuracy of eye witness testimony.
Outline a limitation of Gabbert et al (2003) study
Gabbert et al’s study lacks ecological validity
Outline another limitation of Gabbert et al (2003) study
In Gabbert et al’s study we are unable to establish the cause of the distortion
Outline a strength of Gabbert et al (2003) study
Gabbert et al’s study has good population validity
What is Anxiety
An unpleasant state of emotional and physical wellbeing. It is not clear whether anxiety makes eye witness recall better or worse
What is the Weapon Focus Effect
Where witnesses to violent crimes focus on the weapon used, rather than the culprit’s face, negatively affecting their ability to recall important details such as face recognition.
Explain the Johnson and Scott (1976) study
Investigate whether anxiety affects the accuracy of eye witness testimony. Participants took part in a laboratory experiment. Asked participants to wait in a room, where a man ran out holding a pen or a blooding letter opener knife. Both were shown 50 photographs to identify the individual they had seen, accuracy was lower in the higher anxiety conditions, which shows a negative effect on eye witness testimony.
Explain the Yuille and Cutshall (1986) study
Investigate the effect on anxiety in a real life shooting. Where 13 witnesses to a real life shooting took part in a follow up interview 5 months later. Found that the witnesses were still accurate with their eye witness accounts even after 5 months, and little change was found. Witnesses who reported the highest levels of anxiety were the most accurate with their responses, shows that anxiety may enhance memory.
Outline a limitation of Johnson and Scott (1976) study
Johnson and Scott’s research may test surprise rather than anxiety
Outline another limitation of Johnson and Scott (1976) study
Johnson and Scott’s research has been criticised for lacking ecological validity
Outline a strength of Yuille and Cutshall (1986) study
Yuille and Cutshall’s research has a higher degree of external validity than artificial lab based studies
Outline a limitation of Anxiety affecting eye witness testimony
Limitation of field studies is that they lack control of variables
Outline another limitation of Anxiety affecting eye witness testimony
There are ethical issues in this area of research
Explain the Yerkes Dodson Law
Suggests that a little bit of anxiety increases accuracy of eye witness testimony whereas too much can decrease accuracy of eye witness testimony. There is an optimal level, of not too much or too little.
