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P - Memory > Factors affecting the accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony > Flashcards

Factors affecting the accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony Flashcards

(46 cards)

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1
Q

what is an eyewitness

A

someone who has seen or heard or witnessed a crime

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2
Q

what is eyewitness testimony

A

the ability of the person who saw the crime to remember the detail of the events they observed or heard

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3
Q

what factors affect the accuracy of EWT

A
  • misleading info
  • anxiety
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4
Q

what are the three stages to EWT

A
  • witness encodes into ltm details of the event
  • witness retains info for period of time
  • witness retrieves the memory from storage
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5
Q

why is the accuracy of EWT not 100% at the first stage of EWT

A

encoding may be partial or distorted since crimes are quick, violent and often at night

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6
Q

why is the accuracy of EWT not 100% at the second stage of EWT

A

memories may be lost or modified during retention

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7
Q

why is the accuracy of EWT not 100% at the third stage of EWT

A

presence/absence of appropriate cues

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8
Q

what is misleading info

A

info that suggests a desired response

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9
Q

what are leading questions

A

questions that increase the likelihood that an individual will give a desired response

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10
Q

what is post-event discussion

A

misleading info being added to a memory after an event has occurred where false memories can be created

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11
Q

who studied the impact of misleading info

A

loftus

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12
Q

what was the procedure of loftus’ study on misleading info

A
  • p’s watch 7 videos of car crashes
  • wrote an account of what saw after each clip
  • account responded to a question - 5 variations of the same question for each condition
  • p’s would estimate the speed of the car when hit
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13
Q

what were the five variations of the question in loftus’ study on misleading info

A
  • contacted
  • hit
  • bumped
  • collided
  • smashed
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14
Q

what was the question in loftus’ study on misleading info

A

about how fast were the cars going when they … each other

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15
Q

what were the findings of loftus’ study on misleading info for ‘contacted’

A

estimated 31.8 mph

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16
Q

what were the findings of loftus’ study on misleading info for ‘smashed’

A

estimated 40.8 mph

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17
Q

what were the conclusions from loftus’ study on misleading info

A

the verb in the question conveyed an impression of the speed the car was travelling at - altering the p’s perceptions

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18
Q

what are the two types of misleading info

A
  • leading questions
  • post event discussion
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19
Q

what is post event discussion

Study These Flashcards
A

when a witness to a crime discusses it with another witness/someone else

20
Q

what is the word for post event discussion impacting recall

Study These Flashcards
A

confabulation

21
Q

who studied post event discussion

Study These Flashcards
A

Gabbert et al

22
Q

what was the procedure for the study on post event discussion

Study These Flashcards
A
  • p’s in pairs where each watched a diff video of the same event
  • condition 1 = pairs discuss video before recalling what they watched individually
  • condition 2 = no discussion
23
Q

what were the findings from the study on post event discussion

Study These Flashcards
A

71% of p’s incorrectly recalled aspects of event when post event discussion, 0% for control gorup

24
Q

what were the conclusion from the study on post event discussion

Study These Flashcards
A

memory conformity = witnesses go along with each other to win social approval or because they believe the other witness is right and they are wrong

25
what is anxiety
a state of emotional and physical arousal
26
what are the emotional impacts of anxiety
worried thoughts, feelings of tension
27
what are the physical impacts of anxiety
increased heart rate, sweating
28
what is the impact of anxiety on the accuracy of EWT
some think its positive, some think its negative
29
what is the theory on why anxiety has a negative effect on the accuracy of EWT
weapon focus effect
30
what is the weapon focus effect
the view that a weapon in a ciminal's hand distracts attention from other features of the crime
31
who studied the weapon focus effect
johnson and scott
32
what was the procedure for the study on the weapon focus effect
- p's left in waiting room for "real" study to start - 2 situations : low and high anxiety - p's asked after to identify the man from a set of 50 photos
33
what was the low anxiety situation in the study on the weapon focus effect
overheard a discussion in the lab followed by a man leaving holding a pen and grease on his hands
34
what was the high anxiety situation in the study on the weapon focus effect
overheard a heated discussion in the lab, sound of breaking glass and crashing chairs, followed by a man leading carrying a paper knife and covered in blood
35
what were the findings in the low anxiety situation of the study on the weapon focus effect
49% p's correctly identified the man
36
what were the findings in the high anxiety situation of the study on the weapon focus effect
33% of p's correctly identified the man
37
what were the findings in the study on the weapon focus effect
low vs high anxiety 49% vs 33% accurate recall
38
what is the theory on why anxiety has a postiive effect on the accuracy of EWT
evolutionary argument
39
what is the evolutionary argument for why anxiety has a positive effect on the accuracy of EWT
adaptive to remember events that are emotionally important so can learn how to respond to them in the future
40
what was the procedure for the study on the evolutionary argument to anxiety
- shop owner shot thief dead - 13 p's - asked to recall events - asked their stress levels at time of event - accuracy of recall compared to how stressed they were
41
how was stress measured in the study on the evolutionary argument to anxiety
using a 7 point scale
42
what was the findings in the study on the evolutionary argument to anxiety
- highest levels of stress = most accurate response - high = 88% correct, low = 75% correct
43
when were the interviews for the study on the evolutionary argument to anxiety done
4-5 months after the event
44
what were the conclusions for the study on the evolutionary argument to anxiety
anxiety (stress) has a positive effect on recall
45
how can the contradiction for the effect of anxiety on the accuracy of EWT be resolved
the Yerkes-Dodson effect
46
what is the yerkes-dodson effect
normally distributed curve of EWT against anxiety - medium anxiety is best for EWT

P - Memory (6 decks)

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