Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony

Question 1

Misleading Information

Answer 1

Memories can be encoded, then encoded again, so memories can be changed after the fact. Memories behave as a reconstruction of events as opposed to recording the events like a film.

Question 2

Leading Questions

Answer 2

Questions that suggest facts about an event or assume events. This alters how people will remember events happening.

Question 3

Post-event Discussion

Answer 3

When multiple witnesses to a crime discuss what they saw. Testimonies become contaminated as they mix what others saw into their own memories.

Question 4

Anxiety & Negative Effect on recall

Answer 4

Johnson & Scott (1976): Anxiety can have a big effect on what people can remember. Unable to remember as much information in more stressful situations.

Question 5

Anxiety & Positive effect on recall

Answer 5

Christianson (1993): Emotionally important events, like running from a Lion, are easier to remember. People can have more accurate recall.

Question 6

The Yerkes-Dodson Effect

Answer 6

Deffenbacher (1983): Account for the inconsistency between Anxiety on Eye-Witness Testimonies effect on memory. When participants have too much arousal, then their testimony worsens. There is a peak amount of arousal needed for the most accurate testimony.