Factors affecting Eye-witness Testimony

Question 1

what are the 3 factors that affect eye witness testimony

Answer 1

misleading information:
-leading questions
-post event discussion

-anxiety

Question 2

what does EWT stand for

Answer 2

Eye Witness Testimony

Question 3

what is misleading information defined as

Answer 3

information given to someone as part of question that may change the way they perceive a situation or event

Question 4

what does a leading question influence

Answer 4

how we decide to answer a question on the event

Question 5

who investigated the effects of leading questions on ewt

Answer 5

loftus and palmer (1974)

Question 6

what was the aim of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

Answer 6

to investigate the effects of misleading info on EWT

Question 7

what was the procedure of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

Answer 7

sample: 45 students
-students split into 5 groups
- shown 7 short videos of cars colliding
- all p.t were asked critical question ‘about how fast were the cars going when they ___ each other’
Each group had a different verb fill in the blank
verbs: smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted

Question 8

what was the results of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

Answer 8

when verb ‘smashed’ was used p.t estimated that the cars were travelling much faster than when the verb ‘contacted’ was used

mean estimated speed:
smashed: 40.8 mph
collided: 39.3 mph
bumped: 38.1 mph
hit: 34 mph
contacted: 31.8 mph

Question 9

What was the conclusion of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

Answer 9

how the question was phrased influenced the p.t speed estimates

Question 10

what is post-event discussion

Answer 10

witness discuss what they have seen which could lead to false memories to occur, people can mistake other peoples memories for their own memory

Question 11

who investigated post event discussions affect on EWT

Answer 11

Gabbert et al (2003)

Question 12

what was gabbert et al’s aim in his research into EWT

Answer 12

to investigate the impact of post-event discussion of EWT

Question 13

what was the procedure of gabbert et al’s research into the effect of post event discussion on EWT

Answer 13

the sample consisted of 60 university of aberdeen students and 60 older adults
-p.t watched a video of a girl stealing money from a wallet
-the p.t tested individually or in pairs
-the pairs watched same video but different perspectives (only one video showed the girl commiting crime)
-p.t in co witness group discussed crime together
-p.t completed questionnaire, testing memory

Question 14

what was the findings of gabbert et al’s research into the effect of post event discussion on EWT

Answer 14

71% of witnesses in co witness group recalled info they hadnt actually seen

60% said the girl was guilty despite not seeing her steal

Question 15

what was the conclusions of gabbert et al’s research into the effect of post event discussion on EWT

Answer 15

these results highlight the issue of post event discussion and the powerful effect this can have on the accuracy of EWT

Question 16

what is anxiety

Answer 16

a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe

Question 17

does anxiety make EWT ___?
a. worse
b. better
c. both

Answer 17

C. both

Anxiety has been shown to have a positive impact, enhancing EWT but also a negative impact on EWT

Question 18

how can anxiety sometimes make EWT better or worse

Answer 18

the difference can be explained by the Yerkes Dodson Law

Question 19

what does the Yerkes Dodson law dictate

Answer 19

the law dictates that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point

when level rise too high performance decreases

Question 20

who investigated the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 20

loftus
Christianson and Hubinette

Question 21

what was the aim of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 21

to investigate the effects of anxiety on EWT

Question 22

what was the procedure of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 22

p.t heard a discussion in a room nearby then depending on the group this occured
condition a - a man came out of a room with a pen and greasy hands
condition b - a man came out holding a knife with bloody hands

p.t asked to identify the man from 50 photos

Question 23

what was the findings of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 23

condition a - 49% accurate at identifying the man
condition b - 33% accurate at identifying the man

Question 24

what was the conclusion of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 24

when anxious, witness focus on weapon (weapon focus effect) at the expense of other details

Question 25

what was the aim of Christianson and Hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 25

to investigate the effects of anxiety on EWT from naturalistic experiments

Question 26

what was the procedure of christianson and hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 26

they interviewed 110 people who previously witnessed bank robberies
some p.t had just been witnesses whilst others had actually been threatened

Question 27

what was the findings of christianson and hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 27

those who had actually been threatened had the most accurate and detailed recall of events

Question 28

what was the conclusion of christianson and hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT

Answer 28

when we are more anxious in a situation, EWT is better

Question 29

what is a strength of factors affecting EWT

Answer 29

P: there is real-life application
E: for example loftus and palmer found that leading questions influences responses
E: this now influences police interviews and the legal system
L: This shows that there is validity for these factors

Question 30

what is a weakness of factors affecting EWT

Answer 30

P: The use of laboratory experiments and artifical tasks within research
E:in loftus and palmers research p.t shown video of car crash instead of real crash
E: results arent true to life
L: lacks ecological validity