Eyewitness Testimony

Eyewitness Testimony

1. Misleading questions

   • Questions phrased in such a way that suggest a certain desired answer
   • Loftus & Zani
     • Aim - Investigate effect of leading questions on EWT
       • Procedure - Participants were shown a video of a car crash and then divided into 2 groups and interviewed about the crash
         • Group 1 asked 'did you see a broken headlight?' whereas group 2 were asked 'did you see the broken headlight?'
         • Results - Although there had been no broken headlight, group 2 were over twice as likely to report seeing it
           • Conclusion - Being exposed to misleading questions can distort the witnesses' memory
   • Loftus & Palmer
     • Aim- Investigate whether leading questions in the form of post-event info would result in EWT being inaccurate
       • Procedure - Conducted a lab experiment - 45 students shown a film of a car accident. After watching were put into 5 groups and asked the speed of the car using different verbs with each group
         • Results - Smashed = estimate speed of 41mph. Contacted = estimate speed of 32mh
           • Conclusion - Being exposed to misleading questions after an event can distort the witnesses' memory

2. Anxiety

   • Loftus et al
     • Aim - Investigate whether presence of a weapon will affect the accuracy of eyewitness memory
       • Procedure - Asked participants to wait outside a lab. Whilst waiting Loftus arranged for 2 confederates to start a heated discussion in the lab.
         • Participants split into 2 conditions. Condition 1 = Man seen leaving room with a pen & oil on his hands. Condition 2 = Man seen leaving room with a knife & covered in blood.
         • Results - 49% accuracy in correctly identifying the man when holding the pen and 33% accuracy when holding a knife
           • Conclusion - Presence of a weapon makes eyewitness recall details of the suspect less accurate because the weapon creates anxiety
   • Yerkes Law of Arousal
     • Performance of task improves due with an increase of arousal (anxiety) up to a point
       • Then performance declines with further increase of arousal - accuracy of witnesses' recall depend on level of anxiety
   • Yuille & Cutshall
     • Aim - Investigate the effect of leading questions on the accuracy of EWT for a real life crime
       • Procedure - 13 witnesses to a real life gun crime were interviewed 5 months after. The questions were the same as what the police asked but included some misleading questions also they were asked to rate the degree of stress they felt
         • Results - Recall was very accurate even after 5 months. Misleading questions had no effect on recall accuracy
           • Conclusion - Witnesses of real life crime have remarkably accurate memories of an anxiety provoking crime

3. Legal term referring to the use of eyewitness to give evidence in court concerning the identity of someone who committed a crime

   • Least trustworthy type of evidence used in court
     • Memories are fragile & easily distorted