Eyewitness testimony

• Leading questions are questions that are phrased in a particular way that implies that there is a correct answer to the question.
• Disadvantage of a leading question- is that it can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony because it can lead witnesses to reporting things they didn't actually witness.
• Loftus and Palmer carried out a lab study testing the effects of leading questions.
• Loftus and palmer- Participants watched a short clip of a car crash and were then asked to estimate how fast the car was going when it crashed, however the verb “crashed” asked in the question was changed in a number of variations
• Loftus and palmer- Results showed that on average participants estimated the speed of the car to be 8.7mph faster when asked how fast it was going when it “crashed” compared to when it “contacted”
• Anxiety can have both a positive and negative effect on the accuracy of eyewitness recall.
• In some cases the increased physiological arousal caused by anxiety can mean the individual is more likely to pay close attention to the event, potentially making recall better
• However, alternatively if the arousal caused by anxiety is too high then it can impair cognitive functions making memory less accurate.
• The weapon effect suggests that when someone witnesses an event involving a weapon the witness's attention is focused on the weapon as a source of anxiety, making recall of the event less accurate.
• In a study by Loftus and Palmer testing the weapon effect, participants sat in a waiting room purposely overheard an argument, the sound of smashing glass and then a man walking out and down the hallway.
• Loftus and palmer- There were two variations of the study, in high anxiety condition the man was holding a blood knife, and in the low anxiety condition the man was holding a greasy pen.
• Results showed that in low anxiety condition, participants correctly identified the man with the pen 49% of the time. Whereas in high anxiety condition the participants correctly identified the man with knife 33% of the time.
• Loftus and palmer- concluded that anxiety can have a negative effect on the accuracy of eyewitness recall.