factors affecting eye witness testimony

• what is eye witness testimony?

  • the evidence given in court or in police investigation by someone who has witnessed a crime or accident
• what are leading questions?

  • a question phrased in a a way to prompt a particular answer
  • e.g was the man wearing a hat
  • suggests the man was wearing a hat
  • false information given to a witness after the event can alter their original memory by removing some elements and adding others
• Loftus and palmer leading questions

  • used experimental technique
  • Participants were shown a film of an event (road accident)
  • they were then exposed to some post event info
  • then tested for memory of the original event
• factors effecting EWT

  • witness factors - age, race, gender
  • event factors - duration of event and level of violence witnessed
• factors that influence EWT

  • anxiety
  • anxiety has a negative effect on recall
  • JOHNSON AND SCOTT (1976) study of weapon focus effect and found high anxiety (holding knife) lead to poorer recall than low anxiety (holding pen)