misleading information affecting eyewitness testimony

• What is eyewitness testimony (EWT)?

  The ability to remember observed events
• What factors can affect the accuracy of EWT?

  Misleading information and anxiety
• What is misleading information?

  Incorrect information given after an event
• How can misleading information take form?

  Leading questions and post-event discussions
• What is a leading question?

  A question that suggests a certain answer
• What is post-event discussion (PED)?

  Discussion among witnesses after an event
• How does PED influence eyewitness recall?

  It may alter the accuracy of recall
• What were the procedures and findings of Loftus and Palmer's research on leading questions?

  • Participants watched car accident clips
  • Asked about speed with different verbs
  • Mean speed for "contacted": 31.8 mph
  • Mean speed for "smashed": 40.5 mph
  • Leading questions biased recall
• What does the response-bias explanation suggest?

  Wording influences how participants answer
• What does the substitution explanation propose?

  Wording changes the participant's memory
• What was the second experiment by Loftus and Palmer about?

  It supported the substitution explanation
• What were the procedures and findings of Gabbert et al.'s research on post-event discussion?

  • Participants watched a crime video from different angles
  • Discussed what they saw before recall test
  • 71% recalled details not seen in video
  • Control group had 0% misinformation
• What is memory contamination?

  Alteration of memories through discussion
• What is memory conformity?

  Witnesses align their memories for social approval
• What are the real-world applications of research into misleading information?

  • Important for the criminal justice system
  • Helps prevent wrongful convictions
  • Psychologists act as expert witnesses
  • Guides police in questioning techniques
• What is a limitation of the substitution explanation?

  EWT accuracy varies for different event aspects
• What did Sutherland and Hayne find about EWT accuracy?

  More accurate for central details than peripheral
• What did Skagerberg and Wright's research suggest?

  Memory is distorted through post-event discussion
• How does memory contamination differ from memory conformity?

  Contamination alters memory; conformity does not