MEMORY - factors affecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony: Misleading information Flashcards
what is misleading information?
incorrect information is given to eyewitness after the event has taken place
what are some examples of misleading information?
leading questions
post event discussion
what is eyewitness testimony (EWT)?
the ability of people to remember detailed events that they have observed.
EWT can be affected by factors such as misleading information and anxiety.
what are leading questions?
question which because of the way it is phrased, suggests a certain answer.
Outline Loftus and Palmers research on leading questions?
- 45 Ps watched clips of car accidents and then asked them questions about it
- asked different types of leading questions
- 5 groups of Ps with different questions using different verbs
Outline Loftus and Palmer findings?
- the verb ‘contacted’ resulted in a speed of 31.8mph
- ‘smashed’ = 40.5mph
- the leading question biased the witnesses recall of an event.
why does leading questions affect EWT?
Response-bias explanation; wording of the question has no real effect on the participants’
memory but just influences how they decide to answer.
what is the substitution explanation?
the wording of a leading question actually changes the participants memory of
the clip. Participants who hear the words ‘smashed’ later reported seeing more broken glass
(there wasn’t any).
The critical verb altered their memory of the incident.
what is post event discussion (PED)?
occurs when there is more than one witness to an event. they may discuss what they have seen with their co-witnesses = influencing the accuracy of each witness’s recall of the event.
Outline Gabbert et al’s research on post event discussion?
- studied Ps in pairs
- each Ps watched video of the same crime but filmed from different POV’s.
- Ps could see different elements
- they discussed what they had seen before individually completing a test of recall
outline the findings of gabbert et al?
71% of Ps recalled aspects that they did not see = they had picked this up in discussion
control group - memory conformity
why do some discussions lead us?
- the wording of a leading question actually changes the participants memory of
the clip. Participants who hear the words ‘smashed’ later reported seeing more broken glass
(there wasn’t any).
The critical verb altered their memory of the incident.
give strengths of research into misleading information?
+ RWA = important practical uses in the criminal justice system
Consequences of inaccurate EWT can be serious.
Loftus believes that leading questions have distorting effect on memory so police officers need to be careful when asking questions. Psychologists are sometimes used = help improve the way legal system works
can help protect innocent people from faulty convictions based on unreliable EWT.
give limitations of research into misleading information?
- practical application of EWT may be affected by issues with research.
Loftus + Palmer = Ps watch film in lab ( diff to real event)
Ps response in RWS has consequences but in research it doesn’t = lacks realism.
-EVIDENCE AGAINST SUBSTITUTION
EWT is more accurate for some aspects of an event than others. Sutherland and Hayne (2001) showed Ps a vid.
They were asked misleading Q.
recall for central details more accurate. Ps attention focused on central details and resistant to misleading info = OG memories survived and not distorted.
- demand characteristics = lab studies identified misleading information as a cause of inaccurate EWT by controlling variables. Zaragoza argues that answers given by Ps are due to demand charactersitics.
