memory 1.5 Flashcards
Factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony: misleading information, including leading questions and post-event discussion; anxiety.
when are leading questions used?
(used by the police of barristers/lawyers during a criminal trial) may lead to unreliable EWT being given and, ultimately, an innocent person being convicted
leading question
a question that suggests or leads to a desired response due to the wording of it
e.g. “did you see the knife?” opposed to “did you see a knife?”
response-bias explanation
wording of a question has no enduring effect on an eyewitness’ memory of an event, but influences the kind of answer given
substitution explanation
wording of a question does affect eyewitness’ memory, distorting its accuracy
misleading information
defined as information given to someone as part of a question that may change the way they perceive a situation or an event
it can take many forms including leading questions or post-event discussion
weapon focus
eyewitnesses who focus on a weapon during a crime are more likely to make mistakes in their recall of other details, such as the perpetrator’s face.
own-race bias
eyewitnesses are more likely to accurately identify someone of their own race than someone of a different race
cross-race identification
eyewitnesses are more likely to make mistakes when identifying someone of a different race.
who researched into the effects of misleading questions on EWT?
Loftus and Palmer (1974)
what was Loftus and Palmer (1974)’s aim?
investigate the effects of misleading information on EWT
what was Loftus and Palmer (1974)’s procedure?
45 student participants were shown 7 short video clips of cars colliding
they were split into 5 groups
all participants were asked “About how fast were the cars going when they … each other?”
the verbs to fill in the blank were either:
smashed
collided
bumped
hit
contacted
what were Loftus and Palmer (1974)’s results?
in mph:
smashed - 40.8
collided - 39.3
bumped - 38.1
hit - 34
contacted - 31.8
what was Loftus and Palmer (1974)’s conclusion?
the phrasing of the question influenced the participants’ speed estimates
the more powerful the verb, the quicker the speed
who researched into the effects of leading questions on EWT?
Loftus and Zanni (1975)
what was Loftus and Zanni (1975)’s aim?
investigate the impact of leading questions on EWT
what was Loftus and Zanni (1975)’s procedure?
participants were 100 university students and were all informed they were completing a study on memory
they were shown a one minute film of a car crash
they were then asked a leading question:
“did you see the broken headlight?”
“did you see a broken headlight?”
what were Loftus and Zanni (1975)’s results?
the following percentages were the people claiming to have seen a broken headlight:
“did you see the broken headlight?” - 17%
“did you see a broken headlight” 7%
what was Loftus and Zanni (1975)’s conclusion?
the changing of a simple word as part of a leading question can impact participants’ recall
explain how research into misleading information regarding eyewitness testimony can be applied to real life
this research shaped the cognitive interview as the cognitive interview is designed to avoid leading questions and instead get witnesses to report everything
therefore it has application
explain how Loftus and Palmer (1974)’s research lacks internal validity
watching film clips of car crashes is not at all like witnessing a real accident
e.g. a lack of emotional / dramatic content
participants get all the same view of the accident rather than seeing it from different vantage points
therefore it lacks internal validity
post-event discussion
a potential source of misleading information where witnesses discuss what they saw after an event
conversations after the event can have a similar impact to leading questions as false information can be added in where people can mistake other people’s memories for their own
who researched into the impact of post-event discussion on EWT?
Gabbert et al (2003)
what was Gabbert et al (2003)’ aim?
to investigate the impact of post-event discussion on EWT
what was Gabbert et al (2003)’s procedure?
sample consisted of 60 students from the University of Aberdeen and 60 older adults from a local community
participants watched a video of a girl stealing money from a wallet
the participants were either tested individually (control group) or in pairs (co-witness group)
participants in the co-witness group were told that they had watched the same video, however they had in fact seen different perspectives of the same crime and only one person had actually witnessed the girl stealing in the pair
participants in the co-witness group discusses the crime together
all of the participants then completed a questionnaire testing their memory of the event