Factors Effecting eye Witness Testimony Flashcards
What is eye witness testimony (EWT)
Someone who witnessed a crime
What is misleading info
False info given to eyewitness’ eg leading questions and post event discussion.
What are leading questions
A question that suggests a certain answer
Leading questions study
Loftus and Palmer - lab experiment - 45 students
- split into 5 groups and shown a video of a car crash
- then asked how fast where the card going when they X into each other
- X was a different verb each group was given Eg smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contracted.
Results -
The more intense the verb was the higher the mean estimate of the speed was eg smashed 40.8 mph and hit- 34 mph
Conclusion- leading questions have an effect on EWT
Evaluation of leading question study and IV and DV
✅- real life application- police can’t use leading questions in interviews
✅-lab experiment can be replicated
❌- lab experiment demand characteristics
❌- lacks ecological validity cause students weren’t out under the stress as a real EWT would be.
❌- students may not drive so harder to estimate speed
IV- verb
DV- estimated speed mph
Loftus study two
150 students split into 3 groups
Shows video of car crash
Asked how fast was the cars going when they … into each other (with diff verb)
-then asked if there was broken glass
- the more intense the verb the more likely they’re to say yes
Smash - 16 yes
Hit- yes 7
Conclusion -
Leading questions can effect EWT
Evaluation of loftus and Palmer 2
✅- lab experiment - control
❌-lack ecological validity video not real so didn’t feel stress- don’t know if leading questions would effect EWT In real life.
Study against loftus
Yuville
- 13 witness’ to robbery and murder were re-interviewed 5 months later with two leading questions.
- man robbed store and shot shop keeper. Robber got shot and killed
Results- leading questions had no effect on EWT they still have accurate recall of the crime.
The more distressed EW was the more accurate account of crime was.
Conclusion-EW of real life crime have accurate meme routes when the incident involves high levels of anxiety and weapons.
Role of anxiety on EWT
Yerkes Dodson law
- performance improves as arousal increases up to an optimum point but once it exceeds optimal point performance decreases.
-medium levels of anxiety improve accuracy of EWT but too high or too low might interfere with accuracy.
Optimal level of anxiety improves recall
What is Post- event discussion
When two witnesses of an event discuss what they have seen.
Post-event discussion study
Gabbet
- study the effect of post event discussion on EWT
- 60 students 60 elderly independent group design
- 2 conditions tested individually or in pairs
-watch video of robbery and were told they were watching the same video but only one saw the girl actually steal
- the pairs discussed the crime and took questionnaire
Results and conclusion of posts event discussion
And evaluation
Results - 71% of pairs recalled info they hadn’t seen and 69% said they saw the girl steak despite not seeing her do it.
Conclusion - shows issue of post event discussion on accuracy of EWT
❌- lacks ecological validity not a real crime so no real stress.
What are the effects of post event discussion ON EWT
-source monitoring theory
- conformity theory
What is source monitoring theory
Can’t remember the source of info even tho they can recall it.
- don’t know if it was their memory or someone else’s- distorts their own memory of the event
What is the conformity theory
Change their recall of event to match the accounts of the other EWs either for-
- social approval or because they genuinely believe they must be weong if everyone else saw the same thing.
What is the weapon focus effect on EWT
And study against it and evaluation of the study
If a person is carrying a weapon witness are more likely to look at it thente face of the suspect
-the presence of the weapon increases anxiety takin focus away from offender therefore leading to poorer EWT.
Study -yuille
-13 real-life witnesses to a shooting
Interviewed them 5 months after the event and compared their report to the report taken at the time.
-scored for number of details and how stressed they were
-the more stressed the witnesses were the more accurate their account of the crime was.
-shows anxiety does not affect memory
✅- high ecological validity real stress and anxiety
❌- psychological harm asking people to recall a traumatic event could be distressing
