Eye witness testimony

• What is eyewitness testimony (EWT)?

  Evidence in court by a crime witness
• What is the definition of leading questions in the context of EWT?

  Questions influencing participants to give a desired answer
• What is post-event discussion in relation to EWT?

  Misleading conversation altering a witness’s memory
• What is the definition of misleading information in the context of EWT?

  Incorrect information altering a memory after the event
• Who are the researchers that conducted a study on the effect of verb severity on speed estimations?

  Loftus and Palmer
• What average speed estimate (mph) did Loftus and Palmer find for the verb 'smashed'?

  40.8mph
• What average speed estimate (mph) did Loftus and Palmer find for the verb 'bumped'?

  38.1mph
• What average speed estimate (mph) did Loftus and Palmer find for the verb 'collided'?

  39.3mph
• What average speed estimate (mph) did Loftus and Palmer find for the verb 'hit'?

  34.0mph
• What average speed estimate (mph) did Loftus and Palmer find for the verb 'contacted'?


  31.8mph
• According to Loftus and Palmer, what effect do leading questions have on eyewitness accuracy of recall?

  They negatively impact eyewitness accuracy of recall
• What did Loftus and Palmer conclude about the relationship between verb extremity and speed estimation?

  More extreme verbs led to higher estimations
• In Loftus and Palmer's Experiment 2, what question was asked a week later?

  "Did you see any broken glass?"
• What general conclusion did Loftus and Palmer draw from their experiments regarding EWT?

  Leading questions affect eyewitness response
• In Loftus and Palmer's Experiment 2, which condition reported seeing more broken glass?

  The 'smashed' condition
• Who conducted a field experiment of a real-life crime challenging EWT?

  Yuille and Cutshall
• Where did the shooting incident in Yuille and Cutshall's study take place?

  Vancouver, Canada
• How many witnesses agreed to a research interview in Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  13
• How long after the incident were the witnesses interviewed in Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  4 to 5 months
• According to Yuille and Cutshall's research, what effect did misleading information have on real-life witness accounts?

  No effect
• What was the main finding of Yuille and Cutshall's study regarding the accuracy of witness accounts?

  Witnesses were highly accurate in their accounts
• Why do some psychologists argue that reducing memory to isolated variables undermines the complexity of human memory?

  It doesn't provide comprehensive understanding in everyday contexts
• What is the purpose of eye witness testimony?

  To identify the perpetrator of the crime
• On whose research were Yuille and Cutshall's leading and misleading questions based?

  Loftus'
• What items were stolen during the shooting incident in Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  Money and guns
• How many shots did the store owner fire in Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  Six
• What were the outcomes for the thief and the owner in Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  Thief killed, owner injured
• What does reductionism attempt to do when explaining complex behaviour?

  Rely on isolated, operationalised variables
• What does the weapon focus effect suggest about violent crimes?

  Arousal focuses witness on central details
• According to the weapon focus effect, what details do witnesses tend to focus on in violent crimes?

  Central details like the weapon
• Besides the weapon, what other details are often missed by witnesses due to the weapon focus effect?

  Peripheral details like perpetrator's appearance
• What is a significant contributor to the inaccuracy of eye-witness testimony, according to the text?

  Anxiety
• What causes high levels of anxiety in crime situations that can distort memories?

  Fast-paced, loud, frightening experiences
• What hypothesis explains the relationship between arousal and eyewitness recall accuracy?

  Yerkes-Dodson Inverted-U Hypothesis
• According to the Yerkes-Dodson effect, what level of anxiety is beneficial for eyewitness recall accuracy?

  Moderate levels
• Who conducted the Weapon Effect Experiment in 1976?

  Johnson and Scott
• How does adrenaline affect memory recall during moderate levels of anxiety?

  Sharpens senses, creating clearer memories
• In the Weapon Effect Experiment, what was the low anxiety condition?

  A man holding a pen
• What was the high anxiety condition in the Weapon Effect Experiment?

  A man holding a knife
• What percentage of participants in the pen condition accurately recognized the man in the Weapon Effect Experiment?

  49%