Key Question Flashcards
1
Q
What was the key question?
A
- How reliable is Eye Witness Testimony?
2
Q
Describe what eye witness Testimony is?
A
- EWT is evidence supplied by people who witness a specific event of crime, relying on their memory.
- Statements often include descriptions of criminal and details of the crime scene, such as sequence of events, time of day and if others witness the events.
3
Q
What are the problems with eye witness testimony?
A
- witnesses can alter what they remember due to the memories being distorted by the language used to question the witnesses
- witness can give inaccurate statement (according to Bartlett)
4
Q
What did Loftus and Palmer(1974) demonstrate?
A
- Demonstrated how leading questions affected the participants memories of a crash they’d seen on video.
5
Q
INNOCENCE PROJECT
A
- DNA evidence 350 cases overturned 70% DNA evidence.
6
Q
RONALD COTTON - Example?
A
- RONALD COTTON by Jennifer Thompson EWT.
- Innocent - lost 11 years life
- Devlin report 1974 - cannot convict society based on EWT
7
Q
What do we know about reconstructive memory? How could this affect EWT?
A
- That will reconstructive memory, false information could be said as an individual may have gaps in their story as they cannot correctly remember as they try to fill it in.
8
Q
How does the MSM suggest the importance of rehearsal? How could this affect EWT?
A
- If the story is rehearsed then someone could give a more accurate EWT as they do not easily forget as it is stored in their LTM.
9
Q
What does Tulving’s Episodic and Semantic suggest?
A
- Episodic is based on personal experience.
- This means someones EWT could be affected by emotion.
- How they felt could affect their witness statements
10
Q
Explain how we can help improve reliability using the theory described opposite cognitive interview?
A
- It could use objects or take the individual back to the setting as they could visualise what happened which may help their memory.
