Pozzulo et al

Question 1

What was the research aim of Pozzulo et al.’s study?

Answer 1

• To investigate whether cognitive or social factors affect correct identification and false positive responses in a line-up
• To investigate correct identification and false positive responses in relation to the familiarity of the target

Question 2

What were the generalizability concerns of the study?

Answer 2

The study had a limited sample size and used private school and university participant pools, making the results potentially unrepresentative of the broader population.

Question 3

What did the study find regarding false positive responses?

Answer 3

Young children had significantly higher rates of false positive responses in target-absent line-ups when the target was a cartoon character compared to a human face.

Question 4

How does this study apply to real-life psychology?

Answer 4

The findings suggest that children may not be as reliable as adult witnesses in police line-ups, which has implications for improving child witness reliability in legal settings.

Question 5

What were the validity strengths of the study?

Answer 5

The study had high internal validity due to its laboratory setting, which controlled extraneous variables, and limited information given to participants to reduce demand characteristics.

Question 6

What ethical considerations were addressed in the study?

Answer 6

Informed consent was obtained from the parents of the child participants. However, there was an ethical concern that the experiment could trigger trauma in children with prior experiences of line-ups.

Question 7

Generalizability

Answer 7

LOW – Sample may not represent the broader population.

Question 8

Reliability

Answer 8

There was a significant interaction between age, target type, and line-up type on false positive responses.

Question 9

Applicability

Answer 9

HIGH – Findings can be applied to real-life scenarios, such as improving the reliability of child witness testimony.

Question 10

Validity

Answer 10

HIGH – The laboratory setting controlled extraneous variables, and internal validity was ensured by limiting demand characteristics.

Question 11

Ethics

Answer 11

Ethical considerations were followed (informed consent), but potential psychological harm was noted.