Memory- Factors Affecting The Accuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony: Misleading Information Flashcards
Eyewitness testimony (EWT) -
The ability of people to remember the details of events, such as accidents and crimes, which they themselves have observed. Accuracy of EWT can be affected by factors such as misleading information, leading questions and anxiety.
Misleading information -
Incorrect information given to the eyewitness usually after the event (hence often called ‘post-event information’). It can take many forms, such as leading questions and post-event discussion between co-witnesses and/or other people.
Leading question -
A question which, because of the way it is phrased, suggests a certain answer. For example: “Was the knife in the accused’s left hand?’. This suggests the answer is ‘left hand’.
Post-event discussion (PED)-
occurs when there is more than one witness to an event. Witnesses may discuss what they have seen with co-witnesses or with other people. This may influence the accuracy of each witness’s recall of the event.
What did Loftus and Palmer (1974) study in their experiment on leading questions?
Loftus and Palmer studied how leading questions affect eyewitness testimony by showing participants film clips of car accidents and asking them to estimate the speed of the cars using different verbs like “hit,” “smashed,” “collided,” “bumped,” and “contacted.”
What were the findings of Loftus and Palmer’s (1974) experiment?
The verb used in the leading question influenced speed estimates. For example, “contacted” led to an average estimate of 31.8 mph, while “smashed” led to an average estimate of 40.5 mph. This showed that leading questions biased eyewitness recall.
What are the two explanations for why leading questions affect eyewitness testimony?
The two explanations are:
1. Response-bias explanation: The wording of the question influences how participants decide to answer but does not alter their memory.
2. Substitution explanation: The wording of the question changes the participant’s memory of the event.
How did Loftus and Palmer’s second experiment support the substitution explanation?
In their second experiment, participants who heard the word “smashed” were more likely to falsely recall seeing broken glass (which was not present) compared to those who heard “hit.” This showed that the leading question altered their memory of the event.
What is post-event discussion, and how does it affect eyewitness testimony?
Post-event discussion occurs when co-witnesses discuss what they saw, leading to contamination of their memories. They may combine (mis)information from others with their own memories, reducing the accuracy of their testimony.
What did Gabbert et al. (2003) find in their study on post-event discussion?
Gabbert et al. found that 71% of participants mistakenly recalled details they did not see but picked up during discussion. In a control group with no discussion, 0% made such errors. This phenomenon is called memory conformity.
What are the real-life applications of research into misleading information?
Research into misleading information has practical uses, such as improving police interview techniques to avoid leading questions. It also helps psychologists contribute to the legal system as expert witnesses, enhancing the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
What is a limitation of Loftus and Palmer’s study regarding artificial tasks?
The study used film clips of car accidents, which lack the stress and emotional impact of real-life events. This limits the generalizability of findings to real-world eyewitness testimony.
How do individual differences affect eyewitness testimony accuracy?
Older people (55-78 years) tend to be less accurate than younger people (18-25 and 35-45 years) in eyewitness reports. However, all age groups are more accurate when identifying people of their own age group (own-age bias).
What are demand characteristics, and how do they affect EWT studies?
Demand characteristics occur when participants try to be helpful or guess answers to please researchers. For example, they might answer “yes” to a question about a blue car they didn’t see, which can distort findings in EWT studies.
How do consequences of EWT in real life differ from research studies?
In real life, inaccurate eyewitness testimony can have serious consequences, such as wrongful convictions. In research studies, there are no real-world consequences, which may reduce the pressure on participants and affect the accuracy of their responses.
What is memory conformity?
Memory conformity occurs when witnesses adopt or incorporate details from others’ accounts into their own memories during post-event discussion, often to gain social approval or because they believe others are correct.
