unit 2 Flashcards
(96 cards)
confirmation bias
once the eye witness have identified a suspect as the perpetrator then they stop looking – look for info to conform what we think
encoding
what people notice and perceive: tend to overestimate the length of time for a brief incident but underestimate the time of a lengthy incident
Change blindness
people can be blind to changes in their environment
What did Loftus, et al. study tell us?
Found that people’s memory for the perpetrators face was worse when he had a gun vs. the check since they’re looking at the gun
Misinformation effect
mis remember where the information came from: think memory but came from someone else/reading about it
Unconscious transference
the generation of memory that is related to an incident, but is not relevant to the issue being considered
What did Robert Buckhout study tell us?
mix up memories: more likely to assume a regular customer is the perpetrator instead of a stranger
system variable
factors under control are the criminal justice system - not leading questions, how line ups are conducted
estimator variable
factors beyond the control of justice system whose impact needs to be estimated
reflector variable
does not directly affect the reliability of an identification but it is a measurement of some process that correlates with reliability (e.g. time)
cross race effect
people are worse at identifying someone of a different race then they are
Exposure: on average people are exposed to those of the same race more often than those who are different
Physiognomic differences: what features are best to distinguish – may pay attention to different features that aren’t as distinguishable in a different race
Ingroup/outgroup categorization: people tend to see ingroup memories as more differentiated while outgroup members are all alike
hypnosis retrieval methods
o Age regression retrieval: technique where they have them remember the event as if it’s happening to them now
o Television retrieval technique: acting as an observer
effects/dangers of hypnosis
- Hypermnesia: remembering more during their hypnotized state than their conscious state
- Subjects relax their standards for reporting information. Approximations are accepted as truth, and subjects are extremely suggestible
- Those hypnotized find it difficult to separate actual memories from those generated under hypnosis
- Memory hardening: memory becomes more formed – both good and bad because don’t want them to remember things that are untrue or traumatic
- More responsive to leading questions
what did the State V. Hurd case give us?
rules for using hypnosis for memory retrieval
what is a good substitute for hypnosis?
- The cognitive interview: re-create the scene mentally and report everything they remember
o Establish rapport with the witness and make them comfortable
o Ask the witness to provide a narrative account of the event
o Probes for details with specific questions
Works in getting more detail but on the downside, they report more detail but also more fulse information
what did cutler and penrods’s study tell us?
sequential presentation leads to more accurate identification because they can compare it to their memory instead of each other
Janet Reno and Gary wells justice department guidelines
o Investigators should use open-ended questions when questioning witnesses; leading questions may taint witness’ memory
o The person conducting the lineup should make it clear that the suspect may or may not be present
o The fillers or foils in the lineup or photospread should match the physical features of the suspect and the features the witness reported
o The witness should be asked (and this recorded) how sure they are of their identification after the initial identification because sustacant effects impact their hypothesis
o Gary wells’ New additions
Lineups should be sequential
Witnesses should be videotaped about how sure they are of their identification
The people conducting the lineups should not know who the suspect is
what did the Loftus study teach us?
People find eyewitness testimony very convincing, even if there’s reasons they shouldn’t because they think it’s more accurate
- Can more accurately identify someone when you can see their whole face and for a longer period of time: we think people can be way more accurate then they actually can
What makes a child’s account more reliable?
- Children’s accounts are more accurate when they participate with the individual rather than merely observe
What makes a child’s account more reliable in lineups?
o They had extended contact with the person, and
o The person is actually in the lineup: more likely to just pick somebody
Elimination lineups work better with kids: when you show a photo one at a time and ask them yes or no, answer after every photo
What did the state vs. Michaels case teach us?
the interrogations revealed a lack of impartiality on the part of detectives; elicited information the kids had not previously mentioned
o Guilty people could go free, and non guilty people could be seen as guilty
suggestive questioning
introducing new information into the interview that the child does not previously provide
interviewer bias
preconceived notions on the part of the interviewer causes them to frame questions differently; elicit answers consistent with their prior beliefs
social influences
highly supportive interviewers can elicit more true responses unless biased reinforcement comes into play