Factors affecting Eye-witness Testimony Flashcards

1
Q

what are the 3 factors that affect eye witness testimony

A

misleading information:
-leading questions
-post event discussion

-anxiety

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2
Q

what does EWT stand for

A

Eye Witness Testimony

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3
Q

what is misleading information defined as

A

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

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4
Q

what does a leading question influence

A

how we decide to answer a question on the event

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5
Q

who investigated the effects of leading questions on ewt

A

loftus and palmer (1974)

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6
Q

what was the aim of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

A

to investigate the effects of misleading info on EWT

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7
Q

what was the procedure of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

A

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

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8
Q

what was the results of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

A

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

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9
Q

What was the conclusion of loftus and palmers investigation into EWT

A

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

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10
Q

what is post-event discussion

A

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

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11
Q

who investigated post event discussions affect on EWT

A

Gabbert et al (2003)

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12
Q

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

A

to investigate the impact of post-event discussion of EWT

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13
Q

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

A

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

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14
Q

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

A

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

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

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15
Q

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

A

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

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16
Q

what is anxiety

A

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

17
Q

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

A

C. both

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

18
Q

how can anxiety sometimes make EWT better or worse

A

the difference can be explained by the Yerkes Dodson Law

19
Q

what does the Yerkes Dodson law dictate

A

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

when level rise too high performance decreases

20
Q

who investigated the effects of anxiety on EWT

A

loftus
Christianson and Hubinette

21
Q

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

A

to investigate the effects of anxiety on EWT

22
Q

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

A

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

23
Q

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

A

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

24
Q

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

A

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

25
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
26
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
27
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
28
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
29
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
30
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