Week 11: Eyewitness Memory

Question 1

What is the most obvious similarity between eyewitness memory tasks and recognition memory tasks?

Answer 1

What is the most obvious similarity between eyewitness memory tasks and recognition memory tasks?

Question 2

How do the methodologies of list memory paradigms and eyewitness memory studies differ?

Answer 2

List memory paradigms often employ many trials with a moderate number of participants (N = 20-50) and fixed stimuli (words or images), while eyewitness memory studies usually involve a single trial with many participants (N = 500-3000) and sometimes use videos of mock crimes.

Question 3

What is a key intention behind experimental manipulations in eyewitness memory studies?

Answer 3

To evaluate whether we can trust identifications under poorer encoding or retrieval conditions.

Question 4

List some variables that can be manipulated in eyewitness memory studies.

Answer 4

Lineup type, retention interval, exposure time, viewing conditions, presence of a weapon, and cross-race identifications.

Question 5

Why is the relationship between confidence and accuracy a major issue in eyewitness memory research?

Answer 5

Because hundreds of wrongful identifications have been overturned through DNA evidence, showing that high confidence does not always correlate with accuracy.

Question 6

What was the consensus about eyewitness memory by the early 2000s?

Answer 6

That eyewitness memory was not to be trusted.

Question 7

According to SDT, what reflects higher criteria in recognition memory?

Answer 7

Higher confidence responses

Question 8

Why does SDT predict a stronger confidence-accuracy relationship for “OLD” responses than “NEW” responses?

Answer 8

Because there is greater variability in encoding strength for targets, leading to more variability in global similarity for targets than lures

Question 9

What is confidence calibration?

Answer 9

The correspondence between confidence percentage and the proportion of correct responses, indicating perfect calibration when confidence % matches the proportion correct.

Question 10

How can one have good memory but poor confidence calibration?

Answer 10

When there are few errors (good discrimination of targets from lures), but similar levels of confidence for accurate and inaccurate responses.

Question 11

Describe the difference between simultaneous and sequential lineups.

Answer 11

In simultaneous lineups, the guilty suspect is presented alongside 5 matched lures, while in sequential lineups, the guilty suspect and the 5 matched lures are presented individually for recognition decisions.

Question 12

What did Lindsay and Wells (1985) report about the accuracy and false alarm rates of sequential vs. simultaneous lineups?

Answer 12

Sequential lineups had higher accuracy and lower false alarm rates compared to simultaneous lineups.

Question 13

What did Mickes, Flowe, and Wixted (2012) find using ROC analysis on simultaneous and sequential lineups?

Answer 13

They found a higher AUC for simultaneous lineups than sequential lineups, indicating better performance for simultaneous lineups.

Question 14

What is the “diagnostic feature” model proposed by Wixted and Mickes (2014)?

Answer 14

It suggests that in simultaneous displays, witnesses focus on features that are different between lineup members, reducing noise and enhancing discrimination.

Question 15

What did Semmler, Dunn, Mickes, and Wixted (2018) find about the confidence-accuracy relationship under poor memory conditions?

Answer 15

They found that poor memory conditions do not affect the confidence-accuracy relationship, with stricter criteria employed when memory is worse.

Question 16

Why must confidence be recorded during the initial identification?

Answer 16

Because confidence recorded later can be contaminated by repeated viewing, feedback, or imagining the story, making it unreliable.

Question 17

What are some recommendations for constructing lineups to ensure reliability?

Answer 17

Use double-blind testing, caution witnesses that the suspect may not be in the lineup, ensure fillers resemble the suspect, and create separate lineups for multiple suspects.

Question 18

How does trauma affect eyewitness memory?

Answer 18

Trauma can impair memory, complicating real-world identifications, which cannot be fully evaluated in lab-based settings.

Question 19

What is the relationship between response latency and identification accuracy?

Answer 19

Short identifications are more accurate than longer ones, with the most accurate identifications being both fast and highly confident.

Question 20

What are the key takeaways from eyewitness memory research?

Answer 20

Confidence is related to accuracy, signal detection theory is a viable decision model, accurate responses are made more quickly than inaccurate ones, and accuracy of high-confidence responses is consistent under various memory conditions due to stricter confidence criteria being applied in poor memory conditions.