FactorsAffecting Eyewitness Testimony: Misleading Information Flashcards
What are eyewitness testimonies?
The ability people have to remember the details of events which they themselves have observed
What is a leading question?
A question which because of the way it is phrased suggests a certain answer
What has Elizabeth Loftus research revealed?
How memories can be changed by things we are told after the event has taken place
What was the aim of Elizabeth Loftus and Palmers research?
To see if asking leading questions affects the accuracy of detail
What was the method for Elizabeth Loftus and Palmers research?
- Ppts were shown films of car accidents
- Some were asked ‘how fast the car was travelling when it hit the other car’
- Others were asked ‘how fast the car was travelling when it smashed into the other car’
- There were 5 groups - smashed, hit, contacted, bumped and collided
How is the question asked to ppts in Elizabeth Loftus and Palmers research a leading question?
It suggests a speed in which the car was going
What were the results of Elizabeth Loftus and Palmers research?
Those who heard the word ‘smashed’ gave a higher speed than those who heard any other word
What is the conclusion from Elizabeth Loftus and Palmers research?
Leading questions will affect the accuracy of recall. The word smashed ledppts to believe the car was gong fast
What are the 2 explanations as to why leading questions affect EWT?
Response bias explanation
Substitution explanation
What is the response bias explanation?
Wording of the question has no real effect on the ppts memories. It just influences how they decide to answer
What is the substitution explanation?
Wording of a leading question actually changes the ppts memory
What happens when co-witnesses to a crime discuss their EWT with each other?
Their memories become contaminated because they combine (mis)information from other witnesses with their own memories
What was the procedure for Gabberts post event discussion study?
- Studied ppts in pairs
- Each watched a video of the same crime but filmed from diff points of views
- So each ppt could see elements in the event the other could not
- Both ppts discussed what they had seen before individually completing a recall test
What were the findings for Gabberts’ post event discussion study?
71% of ppts mistakenly recalled aspects of the event that they did not see but had picked up from the discussion
What did Gabbert conclude from his study?
Witnesses often go along with each other either to win social approval or because they believe the other witnesses are right and they are wrong
This is called memory conformity
