Eye witness testimony

• Eye witness testimony - Evidence given by a witness to a significant event
• Leading question - A question that suggests to the eyewitness the desired answer
• Misleading information - Supplying information that may lead a witness's memory to be altered
• Response bias - Wording had no effect on memory but influences how people respond
• Substitution explanation - Working of a question changes the memory
• What was Loftus and Palmers experiment relating to EWT

  45 American students

  Asked to watch a video of a car crash

  Given different words in the question to say how fast the cars were going (describe how they 'smashed' or how they 'bumped')

  Smashed - highest speed 40mph

  Contacted - lowest speed 30mph
• Positive of EWT


  Practical application - cognitive interview
• Negative of EWT


  Post event discussion

  Loftus and Palmer experiments