memory and the law Flashcards
why was Ronald Cotton wrongly convicted of crimes that sent him to prison for 10 years?
the victim misidentified him during eyewitness identification
memory for a crime or other dramatic event witnessed =
eyewitness memory
what recognition task is used in eyewitness memory?
identification in mugshots/lineups
what recall is used in eyewitness memory?
giving a statement/testimony
describe results from Loftus & Palmer’s eyewitness memory error experiment
IV = descriptive word (smashed or hit) to describe the video of 2 cars crashing, ppts asked if any broken glass 1 week later. yes responses were higher (x2) in group with smashed word showing that wording influences eyewitness memory
what things affect eyewitness memory?
interpretation effects, schema processes, false memories, implicit social demands, stress, arousal
what 2 things is eyewitness memory errors particularly affected by?
post-event information effects and arousal effects
participant memory is altered to conform with misleading post-event information =
post-event information effect
what are the 3 explanations for post-event information?
memory replacement theory, blocking theory, source monitoring theory
misleading info replaces the original info so that the original info is permanently lost or altered = what post-event information explanation?
memory replacement theory
misleading and original info coexist in memory but the original info is blocked by newer info which makes the old info harder to retrieve (retroactive interference) = what post-event info explanation?
blocking theory
is a lexical decision making task a direct or indirect memory test?
indirect
misleading post-event information effect is caused by a source monitoring error = what post-event info explanation?
source monitoring theory
give an example of a reality source monitoring error
info from other sources is mistaken for a self experienced memory e.g. believing what another bystander may have seen
how was unconscious transference shown in the survival school stress study?
84% of ppts misidentified the person in the (unrelated) photo as their interogator
what does the Yerkes-Dodson law suggest about arousal levels and memory?
maximum memory = medium level of arousal/stress, memory will be weak if arousal is too low or too high
what hypothesis states that attention and arousal interact to determine cue-utilisation?
easterbrook hypothesis
what patterns do peripheral details and central details show?
peripheral = yerkes dodson curve, central = linear
the more we are aroused the more we can remember central details to the situation
increase in memory for a weapon along with a decline in memory for other details =
weapon focus effect
less attention on face of person holding the weapon
surprising/unexpected objects attract an observers attention due to their inconsistency with the activated schema =
unusual item hypothesis
give an example of the unusual item hypothesis
canada robbery > robber holds a goose > eyewitnesses drawn towards goose as surprised > attention drawn away from robber > difficulty identifying him
Fawcett et al’s meta analysis on weapon focus effect: how many studies and effect sizes?
28 studies, 47 effect sizes
Fawcett et al’s meta analysis on weapon focus effect: what were the findings?
larger effect sizes in threatening compared to non-threatening situations (linked to arousal), larger effect sizes for unusual compared to neutral items
what does a larger effect size in unusual items suggest?
that a strong surprise from unusual items may lead to arousal levels similar to those evoked by weapons
in what type of people are memory errors often even more pronounced?
children and vulnerable eyewitnesses
what features were found to make the interview analysis of the McMartin preschool case very contaminated? (Schreiber et al’s interview analysis)
reinforcement/feedback, repetition of questions, co-witness info/pressure, inviting speculation, prodding of info, introducing new information
is eyewitness confidence an indicator of memory accuracy ?
no, average accuracy-confidence correlation: r=0.29 (very low), jurors often advised not to take eyewitness confidence into account as isn’t a good indicator that a memory is true
what 3 things make eyewitnesses more or less confident?
confirmatory feedback, repeated questioning, external motivation
repeated questioning _____ confidence
increases. makes information easier to access and recall > higher retrieval fluency increases confidence independent of memory accuracy
what can eyewitness memory be improved by?
recognition and recall
what are Wixted & Well’s recommendations to reduce eyewitness memory errors?
treat line ups as experiments, be aware of effects on confidence, minimise memory contamination. control conditions, use double blind procedures to minimise unconscious biases, assess confidence at first time of identification (not after repeated identification/questioning when confidence increases)
when conducting a line up what should be done to improve reduce eyewitness memory errors
include only 1 suspect and at least 5 known innocent fillers to increase guessing chance, use adequate fillers so suspect doesn’t stand out, caution witnesses that suspect may not be in lineup (to minimise motivational effects)
what factors make eyewitness memory highly reliable?
memory probed for first time and isn’t yet contaminated, interview protocols used, avoid suggestive Qs and minimise guessing, investigator = sensitive to witness’ level of confidence
interview protocol based on memory principles to maximise amount of correct info and minimise amount of incorrect info from witness =
cognitive interviews
what features of cognitive interviews help eyewitnesses?
reinstate context of event (environment, sound, smells), encourage all peripheral and irrelevant details, recall from different time points, take on different perspectives, don’t interrupt the witness
when is eyewitness confidence only a good predictor of memory accuracy?
when memory is uncontaminated and probed adequately
