Memory -> Factors Affecting EWT

Question 1

Eyewitness Testimony (EWT)

Answer 1

EWT is the evidence supplied to a court by people who have seen a crime, based on their memory of the incident. This evidence can include an identification of the perpetrator or details of the crime. Juries are often heavily influenced by eyewitnesses

Question 2

Leading Questions

Answer 2

Leading questions are questions that are phrased in such a way as to encourage a witness to give a certain answer.

Question 3

Loftus and Palmer

Answer 3

Car crash films
Different verbs in the questions
Affected the responses

Question 4

Post-Event Discussion

Answer 4

The memory of an event can be contaminated through witnesses discussing what they have seen with co-witnesses or other people.
- Memory contamination
- Memory conformity

Question 5

Strength of post-event discussion - Gabbert

Answer 5

Population validity

Question 6

Weakness of post-event discussion - Gabbert

Answer 6

Lacks ecological validity

Question 7

Gabbert et al - Post event discussion

Answer 7

Gabbert et al. put participants in pairs and got them to watch a different video of the same event

Pairs either discussed the video or they didn’t

71% of witnesses who had discussed went on to mistakenly recall details that they could not have seen themselves, but that they had learned of during the discussion with their partner.

Question 8

Anxiety

Answer 8

Anxiety is a state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from a threatening situation. When anxiety is high it can often impair both physical and psychological functioning. Several psychologists have suggested that the anxiety that occurs when witnessing a crime can prevent accurate and detailed recall of that crime.
- Weapon focus effect.

Question 9

Anxiety - Loftus

Answer 9

Pps overheard an argument. They also heard the sounds of furniture being overturned and broken glass. Then a man emerged carrying a letter opener covered in blood.

Control: Pps overheard a conversation between two people about laboratory equipment failure before a man with grease all over his hands emerged carrying a pen.

33% vs 49%

Question 10

Weaknesses of anxiety - Loftus

Answer 10

Violated ethical guidelines
Distress
&
Real life armed robbery witnesses
Accurate in their testimonies
&
Lack of ecological validity