6.4.2 Improving Accuracy

• What is one factor that can significantly affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony?

  Leading questions
• High stress levels during an event can improve memory encoding and retrieval.

  False
• Post-event discussion can lead to the incorporation of others' information into one's own memory
• How do leading questions influence a witness's memory?

  Introduce false memories
• What is the impact of stress on eyewitness testimony accuracy?

  Reduces accuracy
• Match the cognitive interview technique with its description:

  Context Reinstatement ↔️ Returning to the mental state of the event

  Reporting Everything ↔️ Recalling all details without editing

  Order Change ↔️ Describing events in different sequences

  Perspective Change ↔️ Recalling the event from another viewpoint
• What are cognitive interview techniques designed to combat?

  Leading questions and stress
• High stress levels during an event can improve memory encoding and retrieval.

  False
• Post-event discussion can lead to the incorporation of others' information into individual recall
• How do sequential lineups differ from simultaneous lineups?

  Suspects shown one by one
• Sequential lineups reduce the false identification rate by forcing witnesses to rely on their memory rather than comparison.
• The reliability of eyewitness accounts can be improved by minimizing the impact of leading questions, stress, and post-event discussions
• Sequential lineups present suspects one at a time, whereas simultaneous lineups show all suspects together.
• Sequential lineups reduce relative judgment
• Which type of lineup has higher identification accuracy: sequential or simultaneous?

  Sequential
• Sequential lineups force witnesses to rely on their memory of the perpetrator rather than comparing suspects against each other.
• Steps for ensuring proper lineup administration

  1️⃣ Use fillers

  2️⃣ Instruct witnesses

  3️⃣ Blind administration

  4️⃣ Confidence statement
• Match the procedure with its benefit:

  Use Fillers ↔️ Prevents biased identification

  Instruct Witnesses ↔️ Reduces pressure for false identification

  Blind Administration ↔️ Eliminates unconscious cues

  Confidence Statement ↔️ Provides valuable credibility information
• Open-ended questions encourage witnesses to provide detailed and unbiased responses
• Leading questions suggest the desired answer, which can introduce false memories and skew information.
• What type of questioning technique minimizes the risk of introducing false memories?

  Open-ended
• Eyewitness testimony can be unreliable due to factors such as leading questions, stress, and post-event discussion
• High stress during an event impairs memory encoding, reducing recall accuracy.
• Steps in a cognitive interview

  1️⃣ Context reinstatement

  2️⃣ Reporting everything

  3️⃣ Order change

  4️⃣ Perspective change
• What are two key influences that cognitive interviews minimize?

  Stress and leading questions
• The sequential approach minimizes relative judgment
• Which type of questioning encourages witnesses to provide detailed and unbiased responses?

  Open-ended
• Open-ended questions can be time-consuming but elicit comprehensive details.
• Strategies to reduce post-event contamination

  1️⃣ Separate witnesses immediately

  2️⃣ Caution witnesses against talking

  3️⃣ Document all interactions
• Match the strategy with its benefit:

  Separation ↔️ Prevents contamination

  Caution ↔️ Reinforces witness responsibility

  Documentation ↔️ Tracks potential influence
• What type of research supports expert testimony in legal proceedings?

  Psychological research
• Training law enforcement in eyewitness testimony accuracy is essential to ensure reliable evidence
• Cognitive interview techniques enhance memory recall by using methods like context reinstatement and perspective change.
• Why must legal professionals and jurors understand the unreliability of eyewitness testimony?

  To evaluate witness accounts
• What is a key reason eyewitness testimony can be unreliable?

  Several influencing factors
• Leading questions can introduce false memories and alter recall
• How does stress during an event affect eyewitness testimony accuracy?

  Reduces accuracy and reliability
• Post-event discussion can contaminate individual memories by incorporating others' information.
• Match the factor affecting eyewitness testimony with its impact on accuracy:

  Leading Questions ↔️ Introduces false memories

  Stress ↔️ Impairs encoding and retrieval
• What does weapon focus refer to in eyewitness testimony?

  Concentrating on the weapon