Memory: topic 6 ‘factors affecting the accuracy of EWT, misleading info and leading q’s

Question 1

What is an eyewitness testimony?

Answer 1

• a legal term to describe the evidence provided in court by a person who was present at the time a crime took place

Question 2

What factors affect the accuracy of EWT? [3]

Answer 2

• misleading information
• leading questions
• post event discussion

Question 3

What is misleading information?

Answer 3

• incorrect information given to the eyewitness usually after the event has taken place through the use of leading questions and post event discussion

Question 4

What are leading questions and an example?

Answer 4

• questions that suggest a certain answer
• ‘did you see THE red car?’

Question 5

What is post event discussion and why is it advised to be avoided?

Answer 5

• where two witnesses have a conversation after a crime has taken place
• discussing the incident may add information that wasn’t there / changed

Question 6

Describe Loftus and Palmer’s research which aimed to investigate the effects of misleading information

Answer 6

• the experiment took place in a laboratory where 45 students were shown 7 films of car accidents
• the ppts we’re then given a question are to describe the accident which one leading question: ‘how fast were the cars going when they [hit] eachother?’
• each group received a different variation on this, with ‘hit’ being replaced by either smashed, collided, bumped or contacted
• they then calculated the mean speed estimates for each condition
• smashed was the highest with 40.5mph
• contacted was the lowest with 31.8mph
• it was concluded that misleading information in the form of leading questions can affect the accuracy of EWT and may cause the info to be changed before it is stored, so the memory is permanently affected

Question 7

Describe Gabbert’s research which aimed to investigate the effects of post event discussion

Answer 7

• 120 ppts were put into pairs and shown a video of a girl returning a borrowed book to an empty uni office, but shown from different points of view
• one partner could read the title of the book the girl was returning
• the second partner could see the girl commit a crime of sliding £10 note out of a wallet and into her own pocket
• when both participants had discussed, it was found that 71% of the ppts mistakenly recalled aspects of the events they did not see in the video but had picked up in discussion
• the corresponding figure in a control group where there was no discussion was 0%
• 60% who could not see the crime of stealing the money reported the girl as being guilty of the crime despite not having actually witnessed it taking place
• it was concluded that witnesses often go along with eachother due to ‘memory conformity’ - going along with the testimony of others either to win their social approval or because they believe the other witnesses are right and they are wrong