Eyewitness Testimony: Misleading Information Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is eyewitness testimony (EWT)?
The ability of people to remember the details of events, such as accidents and crimes, which they themselves have observed.
Accuracy of EWT can be affected by factors such as misleading information and anxiety.
What is misleading information?
Incorrect information given to an eyewitness usually after the event, often called post-event information. EG: leading questions and post-event discussion.
can significantly alter an eyewitness’s recall.
Define a leading question.
A question which, because of the way it is phrased, suggests a certain answer.
What is post-event discussion (PED)?
Occurs when there is more than one witness to an event, and witnesses discuss what they have seen with co-witnesses or others, potentially influencing the accuracy of each witness’s recall.
PED can lead to memory contamination.
What was the aim of Loftus and Palmer’s first experiment?
To determine whether eyewitness testimonies were reliable and to assess the effects of language on memory.
What was the procedure of Loftus and Palmer’s 1st experiment?
45 participants split into groups and had to watch 7 videos of car crashes. Then asked critical question about the estimate of speed
What were the critical questions asked in Loftus and Palmer’s first experiment?
How fast were the cars going when they smashed? / How fast were the cars going when they hit?
Variations: collided, bumped, hit, smashed, contacted
What was the results of the 1st experiment?
Mean estimate speed
- Smashed: 41
- Contacted: 32
etc…
What was the 2nd experiment of loftus and palmer?
Similar as the 1st with 150 participants in groups however a week later participants were asked if they saw broken glass
What were the results regarding broken glass in Loftus and Palmer’s 2nd experiment?
Participants in the smash condition were more likely to say yes (16 out of 50), hit condition (7 out of 50), and control condition (6 out of 50).
What are the two explanations for why leading questions affect EWT?
- Response bias explanation: wording changes their answer but not their memory.
- Substitution explanation: wording changes both their memory and their answer.
What were the limitations of Palmer and Loftus’s experiments?
Laboratory setting lacks external validity
- not a real situation meaning findings cannot be generalised
No real emotions involved affects recall as you cannot rely on state dependent cues to recall
Who looked at post event discussion?
Gabbert et al who put participants in pairs and had them watch a crime at 2 different angles. 1 could see the book held by the victim and the other could not
What did Gabbert et al find about post-event discussion?
71% of participants claimed to see the book when allowed to discuss it, while 0% in the control group did (not allowed to discuss).
Suggests testimonies can become contaminated creating memory conformity
What is memory conformity?
When witnesses combine their memories and testimonies become contaminated due to post-event discussion.
What’s a limitation of Post-event discussion?
Bodner et al suggests effects can be reduced as recall was more accurate when participants were told to ignore any ‘hearsay’
A warning cancelling the effects of PED challenges the existence of memory conformity overall
Why is research on misleading information important?
It has real-life consequences, as police should avoid leading questions to ensure accurate witness testimony and witness’s stories can become contaminated after discussion.
What are demand characteristics?
Situations where participants give answers they think the experimenter wants, leading to false results and findings.
May be present in loftus and palmers study questioning the validity of the results/findings
