C1: Cognitive Debate - Eyewitness Flashcards
Example studies for why child witnesses are not reliable? (2)
- Loftus and Zanni - broken headlight
- Braun (bugs bunny)
Examples of why memory is reconstructive?(schemas) (2)
- Schemas, already hold information and may distort our memory of an event
- Yarmey - good guys or bad guys
Examples of why crimes are emotive experiences and therefore unreliable) (2)
- Crimes may be unexpected and emotionally traumatising
- Freud - extremely painful or threatening memories are forced into the unconscious mind.
Explain why crimes are emotive experiences and therefore reliable? (2)
- Some psychologists believe we experience events which are very emotionally shocking and/or we hold a personal significance we create a particularly accurate and long-lasting memory, flashlight memory.
- Cahill and McGaugh - Evidence that the hormones associated with emotion, eg adrenaline may enhance the storage of memories. - Therefore leads to more reliable memories.
Examples of why child witnesses are reliable? (3)x
- Davies: children between 6&7 and 10&11 are fairy accurate in their memories of an event, they do not usually usually ‘make things up’ or lie deliberately when giving testimony.
- Their memory for important details is not significantly altered by adult suggestions after the event.
- Rhodes - all age groups are most accurate when recognising an offender from their age group.
Example of why memory may be reconstructive, but that does mean it is unrealiable?
- Rapecrisis reports that 90% of rapists are known to their victims. This means that the eye-witness’ ability to identify the assailant is likely to be very reliable, even when the crimes are traumatic.
- Yuille and Cutshall’s research - when research is conducted to real life crimes, their accuracy is much higher than that suggested by lab based research.
Explain Loftus and Zanni’s research findings
- asked ‘did you see a broken headlight’ whereas others were asked ‘did you see the broken headlight’
- 7% of ‘a’ reported seeing one
- 17% ‘the’ reported seeing one.
(there was not one in the video)
Explain findings of Braun et al’s study findings.
- Asked ppts who had visited disneyland to watch some adverts.
- Group 2 were shown advert with a cardboard bugs bunny there
- Group 4 had bugs bunny in the advert and the bugs bunny cutout.
- 30% of group 2 and 40% of group 3 recalled meeting bugs bunny at disneyland.
False memory made, can be made from non-verbal/visual information.
Explain Yarmey’s findings.
- 240 people to look at videos of 30 unknown males and classify them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’
- High agreement amongst the participants.
- Suggesting there is similarity in the information these expectation may have become incorporated into our memory (schemas).
How can schemas suggest our memory is reconstructive?
Schemas are used to help us process information.
- The information already held in our schemas may distort our memory of an event (Yarmey)
Freud’s findings about emotive experiences
Extremely painful or threatening memories are forced into the unconscious mind. This process repression is an ego defence mechanism.
Cahil and McGaugh’s findings
Evidence that hormones associated with emotion, such as adrenaline may enhance the storage of memories.
- This suggests that the emotion surrounding a crime may actually lead to more reliable memories.
Davies’ research
- Reviewed the literature discussing children used as witnesses and came to some conclusions
- Children between 6&7 and 10&11 are fairly accurate and do not typically ‘make things up’ or lie when giving testimony.
- Their memory for important details is not significantly altered by adult suggestions.
Rhode’s findings
All age groups are most accurate when recognising an offender from their own age groups.
RapeCrisis statistics
- 90% of rapists are known to their victims.
