MEMORY: Factors Affecting Accuracy Eyewitness Testimony: Misleading Information

Question 1

when asked a question what may mislead you to give a certain ansmwer

Answer 1

wording of the question

Question 2

define EWT

Answer 2

ABILITY of people to remember details of events theyve observed

(e.g accidents and crimes)

Question 3

what factors affect EWT

Answer 3

misleading info

anxiety

Question 4

misleading info

Answer 4

incorrect info given to EW usually after event

many forms - leading Q , post event discussion btwn co witnesses

Question 5

leading Q

Answer 5

when question phrased in a certain way which suggest a certain answer

e.g was knife in his left hand - makes person think there was a knife there

Question 6

PED lol not econ

Answer 6

when theres more than one witness to an event

they may discuss what theyve seen with each other

influencing accuracy fo recall of event

Question 7

why is leading questions a particular problem for EWT

hint police

Answer 7

police may direct witness to give a particular answer

Question 8

How many particpants were in Loftus and Palmer’s experiment 1

Answer 8

45

Question 9

Whaqt did the particpants in Loftus and Palmer 1 do

Answer 9

watch videos of car accidents then were asked questions

Question 10

what is a critical question

Answer 10

leading question or misleading information

Question 11

in the critical question particpants were asked to

Answer 11

describe how fast cars were travelling

‘about how fast was the car going when they collided with each other’

Question 12

How many groups of participants were there

Answer 12

5

Question 13

each group was given a different ….

Answer 13

verb

Question 14

what were the different verbs given to particpants

Answer 14

hit
collided
contacted
smashed
bumped

Question 15

what was calculated for each particpant group

Answer 15

the mean

Question 16

what was the mean for contacted

Answer 16

31.8mph

Question 17

what was the mean for smashed

Answer 17

40.5mph

Question 18

what does the leading question do to the recall

Answer 18

biases EW recall of event

Question 19

what does the response bias explanation suggest

Answer 19

wording of question doesn’t effect participant’s memories

just influences how they decide to answer

Question 20

the leading questio with teh verb smashed encourages participants tooo

Answer 20

choose a higher speed estimate

Question 21

Loftus and Palmer conducted a second experiment for that supported teh explanation for

Answer 21

substitution explanation

Question 22

What is the substitution explanation

Answer 22

wording of a leading question changes participants memory of the film clip

Question 23

How was the substitution explanation shown

Answer 23

participants who og heard ‘smashed’ more likely to report seeing broken glass

even though there was none

than those who heard hit

Question 24

what did teh criticakl verb in the second experiment do

Answer 24

altered their memory of the incident

Question 25

What is post event discussion

Answer 25

when eyewitnesses to crime discuss their memories and experiences with each other

Question 26

Gabbert et al 2003 studied who

Answer 26

particpants in pairs

Question 27

what did each participant in Gabbert et als study watch

Answer 27

video of same crime

but each person from a different POV

Question 28

as the participant pair watched the same video from a different angle what did this mean

Answer 28

each participant could see elements in the event the other could not

Question 29

In Gabbert et al give an example of what one participant could see the other couldn’t

Answer 29

title of a book carried by a young woman

Question 30

at the end of gabbert et als study what did the participants do

Answer 30

discussed what they saw before individually completing a test of recall

Question 31

What did Gabbert et als research find

Answer 31

71% of partipants mistakenly recalled events they hadn’t seen in the video but picked up from PED

Question 32

What was evidence of memory conformity in Gabbert et al study

Answer 32

control group whi had no PED had a 0% mistaken recall of events they hadn’t seen

Question 33

What are the two explanations for PED affecting EWT

2Cs

Answer 33

Memory contamination
memory conformity

Question 34

What is memory contamination

Answer 34

co - witnesses to a crime discuss with each other

and their EWT becomes altered/distorted

Question 35

In memory contamination why do EWT become altered/distorted

Answer 35

they combine (mis)information from other witnesses with their own memories

Question 36

who came up with memeory conformity

Answer 36

Gabbert et al

Question 37

What is memory conformity

Answer 37

witnesses go along with each other due to

social approval or believing the other one is right and they are wrong

Question 38

Unlike with memory contamination in memory CONFORMITY ….

Answer 38

the actual memory is unchanged

Question 39

eval for factors affecting EWT

Answer 39

REAL WORLD APP - important practical uses in the criminal justice system

CP - practical app of EWT may be affected by issues with research

LIMITATION - substitution explanatino - EWT more accurate for some aspects of an event than others

LIMITATION - evidence challenging memory conformity

Question 40

REAL WORLD APPLICATION STRENGTH - important uses in teh jsutice system

got important x uses in the
x system

consequences of x EWT can be x

x believes leading q can have usch a x effect on memory that police officers need to be very x about how they x their q when x EW

x sometimes asked to act as x witnesses in court and explain x of EWT to x

this shows x can help to the x the way the legal system works,

especially by x x people from x convictions based on x EWT

Answer 40

got important practical uses in the justice system

consequences of innacurate EWT can be serious

loftus beleives leading q can have usch a distorting effect on memory that police officers need to be very carefu about how they phrase their q when interviewing EW

Psychs sometimes asked to act as expert witnesses in court and explain limtaitnos of EWT to juries

this shows psychologists can help to the improve the way the legal system works, especially by protecting innocent people fromfaulty convictions based on unrealiable EWT

Question 41

explain the counterpoint to real world applications FOSTER

x applications of EWT may be affected by issues w x

e.g L&P pt watched film x in a lab, which is a v x experience from witnessing a x event (less x)

x pointed out what EW rememeber in real x has significant x

whereas pt repsonses in x doesn’t matter in same x

so pt could have been less x and x to be x

suggesting research such as LOFTUS way too x about effects of misleading info - EWT may be more x than many x suggest

Answer 41

practical applications of EWT may be affected by issues w research

e.g L&P pt watched a film clips in a lab, which is a v diff experience from witnessing a real event (less stressful)

Foster pointed out what EW rememeber in real world has significant consequences

whereas pt repsonses in research doesn’t matter in same way

so pt could have been less serious and motivated to be accurate

suggesting research such as LOFTUS way too pessimistic about effects of misleading info - EWT may be more dependable than many studies suggest

Question 42

explain limitaiton evidence against substitution

limitaition of substitution epxlanation is EWT more x for some x of an event than other

x and Hayne 2001 particpants shown x

when pt later asked x questions , recall for x details more accurate than for x ones

presumably particpants attention x on x features of the event and these memories relativley x to misleading info

this suggests that x memories for x details survived and weren’t x, an outcome not x by x explanation

Answer 42

limitaition of substitution epxlanation is EWT more accurate for some aspects of an event than other

Sutherland and Hayne 2001 particpants shown clip

when pt later asked misleading questions , recall for central details more accurate than for peripheral ones

presumably particpants attention focused on central features of the event and these memories relativley resistant to misleading info

this suggests that og memories for central details survived and weren’t distorted, an outcome not predicted by substitution explanation

Question 43

Point for ‘evidence challenging memory conformity’

limitation of memory x explanation is evidence xxx actually alters EWT

researchers showed PT film x

2v , mugger hair x brown in one , x brown in the other

pt discussed clips in x, eahc having seen x versions

they often didnt x what they’d seen in x or what tehy had x from co x

but a x of the two e.g common answer to hair question was not light/dark brown but x brown)

this suggests memory itself is x through x by misleading xxx rather than the x of memory x

Answer 43

limitation memory conformity explanation is evidence PED actually alters EWT

researchers showed PT film clip

2v , mugger hair dark brown in one , light brown in the other

pt discussed clips in pairs eahc having seen diff versions

they often didnt report what they’d seen in clips or what tehy had heard from co witnesses

but a blend of the two e.g common answer to hair question was not light/dark brown but medium brown)

this suggests memory itself is distorted through contamination by misleading PED rather than the result of memory conformity

Question 44

Explanation for Limitation : DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS

Lab studies have identified misleading info as a cause of innacruate EWT partly by being able to control variables

Answer 44

but researchers argue answers given by pt in lab studies due to demand characteristics

pt want to be helpful and not let researcher down so they guess when asked a question they dont know the answer to