AO3

• Weakness methodology - Lab experiments do not represent real life as people do not take the experiments seriously, and are not emotionally involved = lacks ecological validity
• EWT in real life—Foster– identification of a robber was more accurate if they thought they were watching a real-life robbery. Yullie and Cutshall also support this. Witnesses to armed robbery gave a clear record of events even after 4 months = suggests that in a real world setting, recall can be accurate, long-lasting and resistant to leading questions.
• Weakness - Individual differences – Reported that older people are less accurate in ETW however, Anastasi and Rhodes (2006) all age groups were more accurate when identifying people of their own age group – individual differences such as age are an important factor when assessing the reliability of EWT
• Real life application - The criminal justice system relies heavily on eyewitness identification for investigating and prosecuting crimes. Psychological research has been used to warn the justice system of problems with eyewitness testimony. EWT was the main factor in 70% of wrongful convictions. Devil report – cannot convict on the evidence of a single eyewitness testimony