EWT evaluation

• EWT Evaluation


  - Methodological problem with ewt- possibility of demand characteristics. Zargosa + McClosky argued pps answers came from demand characteristics - didn't want to let down researchers. Issue as it could result in wrongful convictions when appl. to real life

  + Real life appl. Loftus believed leading qs can have such a memory distortion effect that police must be careful when phrasing qs when interviewing Ew. Strength - can improve the way the legal system works+ appearing in court trials as expert witnesses
• EWT Evaluation

  - Most research conducted in artificial settings

  PPs in Loftus's study watched a fake car crash video which is different to the real thing - there's evd. emotions can effect memory.

  Limitation - Lacks ecological validity - says little about how leading qs affect EWT in irl cases of accidents/ crimes

  However, researchers such as Loftus could be too pessimistic about EWT's accuracy - may be more reliable than many studies suggest