EWT: misleading information

• What are leading questions?


  Questions that can influence a person's response.
• How many films of traffic accidents were shown to the students?

  7
• What was the critical question asked to the students?

  How fast were the cars going?
• What were the different verbs used in the critical question?

  Hit, bumped, collided, contacted, smashed.
• What were the corresponding speeds associated with each verb?


  34MPH, 38.1MPH, 39.3MPH, 31.8MPH, 40.8MPH.
• What is the effect of leading questions on eyewitness testimony (EWT)?


  They make EWT less accurate.
• How can certain verbs in leading questions influence a person's answer?

  They can lead them to think a particular answer (faster) is required.
• What is post-event discussion?

  A potential source of misleading information where witnesses discuss what they saw after an event.
• What was the purpose of Gabbert et al.'s study?

  To investigate the impact of post-event discussion on eyewitness testimony.
• What was the method of Gabbert et al. (2003)?

  Participants in pairs watching a video of the same crime from different points of view.
• What type of participants were included in Gabbert et al.'s study?

  Adults and students.
• What did participants in the study discuss?

  What they had seen in the video.
• What percentage of witnesses in the co-witness group recalled information they had not seen?

  71%
• What percentage of witnesses in the co-witness group said the girl was guilty?

  60%
• What does Gabbert et al.'s study highlight?

  The issue of post-event discussion and its effect on eyewitness testimony accuracy.
• How does Loftus and Palmer and Gabbert et al lack ecological validity?

  Both utilise film clips
• What does the research by both show and not show?

  Misleading information decreases EWT accuracy in lab conditions but doesn't show it's effect in real life
• Why might misleading information not affect EWT accuracy in real-life?

  People pay more attention to shocking events
• What are the real-life applications of researching misleading information on EWT?

  Improved police training, prevention of leading questions and post-event discussion
• What is the benefit of researching misleading information on EWT?

  Improved accuracy of EWT, potentially leading to more convictions
• What did Foster et al. (1994) find?

  Accuracy of EWT was higher when participants believed their responses would influence the trial
• How does the research by Foster et al. (1994) contradict the claim about misleading information?

  Perceived consequences can mitigate the negative effect of misleading information on EWT
• What does the research by Foster et al. (1994) suggest about lab environments?

  Lack of consequences in lab environments may reduce EWT accuracy
• What does the research by Foster et al. (1994) suggest about the validity of research into misleading information?


  It reduces the validity of research into misleading information
• who conducted research into leading questions

  loftus and palmer