Factors affecting Eye-witness Testimony Flashcards
what are the 3 factors that affect eye witness testimony
misleading information:
-leading questions
-post event discussion
-anxiety
what does EWT stand for
Eye Witness Testimony
what is misleading information defined as
information given to someone as part of question that may change the way they perceive a situation or event
what does a leading question influence
how we decide to answer a question on the event
who investigated the effects of leading questions on ewt
loftus and palmer (1974)
what was the aim of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT
to investigate the effects of misleading info on EWT
what was the procedure of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT
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
what was the results of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT
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
What was the conclusion of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT
how the question was phrased influenced the p.t speed estimates
what is post-event discussion
witness discuss what they have seen which could lead to false memories to occur, people can mistake other peoples memories for their own memory
who investigated post event discussions affect on EWT
Gabbert et al (2003)
what was gabbert et al’s aim in his research into EWT
to investigate the impact of post-event discussion of EWT
what was the procedure of gabbert et al’s research into the effect of post event discussion on EWT
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
what was the findings of gabbert et al’s research into the effect of post event discussion on EWT
71% of witnesses in co witness group recalled info they hadnt actually seen
60% said the girl was guilty despite not seeing her steal
what was the conclusions of gabbert et al’s research into the effect of post event discussion on EWT
these results highlight the issue of post event discussion and the powerful effect this can have on the accuracy of EWT
what is anxiety
a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe
does anxiety make EWT ___?
a. worse
b. better
c. both
C. both
Anxiety has been shown to have a positive impact, enhancing EWT but also a negative impact on EWT
how can anxiety sometimes make EWT better or worse
the difference can be explained by the Yerkes Dodson Law
what does the Yerkes Dodson law dictate
the law dictates that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a point
when level rise too high performance decreases
who investigated the effects of anxiety on EWT
loftus
Christianson and Hubinette
what was the aim of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT
to investigate the effects of anxiety on EWT
what was the procedure of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT
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
what was the findings of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT
condition a - 49% accurate at identifying the man
condition b - 33% accurate at identifying the man
what was the conclusion of loftus study into the effects of anxiety on EWT
when anxious, witness focus on weapon (weapon focus effect) at the expense of other details
what was the aim of Christianson and Hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT
to investigate the effects of anxiety on EWT from naturalistic experiments
what was the procedure of christianson and hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT
they interviewed 110 people who previously witnessed bank robberies
some p.t had just been witnesses whilst others had actually been threatened
what was the findings of christianson and hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT
those who had actually been threatened had the most accurate and detailed recall of events
what was the conclusion of christianson and hubinette research into the effects of anxiety on EWT
when we are more anxious in a situation, EWT is better
what is a strength of factors affecting EWT
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
what is a weakness of factors affecting EWT
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
