Misleading Information and EWT

Question 1

Eyewitness Testimony (EWT)

Answer 1

The evidence provided in court by a person who has witnessed a crime/ incident with a view to identify the perpetrator of the crime.

Question 2

What can EWT be affected by?

Answer 2

• Leading questions
• Post-event discussion

Question 3

Leading Questions:

Answer 3

By its form or content, it suggests to the witness the desired answer e.g. “What colour was the man’s hat?” - implies that he was wearing a hat.

Question 4

Post-event discussion:

Answer 4

Any information discussed after the event has happened which could influence a person’s memory of the event. Includes discussions with other witnesses, news reports or chats with other people.

Question 5

What was Loftus and Palmer’s aim?

Answer 5

To investigate the effect of leading questions in distorting the accuracy of EWT.

Question 6

What was the method of investigating the effects of leading questions?

Answer 6

• Loftus and Palmer - carried out lab exp using independent groups design
• 45 American students shown 7 films of different car accidents
• After each film, ppts were given a questionnaire asking them a series of specific questions on the accident, including one critical question

Question 7

What was the critical question that Loftus and Palmer asked?

Answer 7

“About how fast were the cars going when they _______ each other?”

Question 8

What were the 5 following verbs given in the critical question?

Answer 8

~ Hit
~ Smashed
~ Collided
~ Bumped
~ Contacted

Question 9

How many groups were the participants divided in?

Answer 9

5

Question 10

The independent variable of the Loftus and Palmer exp:

Answer 10

Wording of the question

Question 11

The dependent variable of the Loftus and Palmer exp:

Answer 11

Speed reported by the participants

Question 12

What were the findings of investigating the effects of leading questions?

Answer 12

• The estimated speed was affected by the verb used in the critical question
• When a more impactful verb (smashed) was used, participants estimated that the cars were travelling at a higher speed compared to when the verb “contacted” was used

Question 13

What were the estimates of speed when the verb smashed vs contacted was used in the critical question?

Answer 13

40.8mph > 31.8mph

Question 14

What was the conclusion of investigating the effects of leading questions?

Answer 14

The language used in questions can have a distorting effect on EWT which can lead to inaccurate accounts of the witnessed event.

Question 15

What was Gabbert et al’s aim?

Answer 15

To investigate the effects of post-event information in distorting the accuracy of EWT.

Question 16

What was the method of investigating the effects of post-event discussion?

Answer 16

• Ppts split into pairs
• Each ppt watched a vid of the same crime but from diff viewpoints and could therfore see elements in their own video that the other could not
• E.g only one ppt in the pair could see the title of a book being carried by a young woman
• Both ppts then discussed what they saw in the video before individually completing a test of recall
• CONTROL GROUP - NO DISCUSSION BEFORE RECALL

Question 17

What were the findings of investigating the effects of post-event discussion?

Answer 17

• In the experimental group - 71% of the ppts mistakenly recalled aspects of the event that they did not see in the video, but had picked up in the discussion.
• The control group - 0%

Question 18

Experimental group of post-event discussion?

Answer 18

DISCUSSION BEFORE RECALL

Question 19

Control group of post-event discussion?

Answer 19

NO DISCUSSION BEFORE RECALL

Question 20

Percentage of ppts that mistakenly recalled aspects of the event in the experimental group:

Answer 20

71%

Question 21

What was the conclusion of investigating the effects of post-event discussion?

Answer 21

Witnesses often change their memory and go along with the accounts of others to win social approval or a lack of self confidence as they believe they are wrong and the other witnesses are right.

Question 22

Strengths of misleading information:

Answer 22

• Reliability
• Practical application to real life

Question 23

Strength of misleading information: studies like Loftus’ are replicable.

Answer 23

• Loftus tended to use range of controlled experiments to investigate EWT
• High control over extraneous variables, and standardardised procedures (e.g. using the same video of a car crash each time)
• SB: allows other researchers to replicate the study to check for consistent results. Loftus herself conducted a large number of studies into EWT + found same outcome that leading questions distorted EWT
• Therefore increasing the validity of her results

Question 24

Strength of misleading information: practical application.

Answer 24

• Loftus’ research revealed that leading questions can distort memory and EWT.
• SB: this understanding informs interviewers to be cautious when conducting interviews, ensuring they do not ask leading questions.
• This is particularly important in the LEGAL SYSTEM when interviewing eyewitnesses as this understanding should help prevent wrongful convictions.
• Thus the research increases in utility and improves lives.

Question 25

Weakness of research into misleading information: studies like Loftus’ are often artificial.

Answer 25

* Loftus used a VIDEO of car accident for practical and ethical reasons. Its difficult to reproduce real life EWT conditions in a lab, as real life events take place unexpectedly and in atmosphere of high tension and emotional arousal * WB: due to these differences - results may not apply to real life, where recall may be significantly improved incomparison to in a lab * Foster et al- ppt’s identification of robber was more accurate if they thought they watched a real-life robbery important to a real trial, than if they did not * Thus her research lacks ecological validity - cannot be used to understand EWT IRL.

Question 26

What did Foster et al find?

Answer 26

ppt’s identification of robber was more accurate if they thought they watched a real-life robbery important to a real trial, than if they did not

Question 27

Weakness of research into misleading information: contradictory real life research.

Answer 27

* Yuille and Cutshall studied a real life shooting outside a gun shop in Canada. They examined witness recall 5 months after the incident, and asked them two leading questions. They found the leading questions did not alter accuracy of recall from their original statements. * WB: it refutes Loftus’ findings - shows that misleading information does not distort the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. Especially when the eyewitness testimony is for a real life crime. * Thus this decreases the validity.