Psychology - Eye Witness Testimony: Misleading Information & Post Event Discussion

20 important questions on Psychology - Eye Witness Testimony: Misleading Information & Post Event Discussion

What did participants do in Gabbert and Colleagues (2003) study?

  • Participants were put into pairs.
  • Each participant watched a video of a crime from a different angle that the other person could not see.
  • After individuals discussed what had happened and did a recall test.

What is memory contamination according to Gabbert and Colleagues (2003)?

EWT can become altered or distorted because they combine info from other witnesses.

How many students participated in the Loftus and Palmer broken glass experiment, and how were they divided?

150 students participated. They were split into 3 groups.
  • 50 participants were asked about cars "hitting" each other.
  • Next 50 were asked about cars "smashing" each other.
  • Last 50 were not asked about car speed (control group).
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What is eyewitness testimony?

Evidence provided in court by a person who witnessed the crime to help identify the perpetrator.

What is the response bias explanation in the Loftus and Palmer experiment?

Response bias suggests that wording of a question has no real effect on participants' memories but only influences how they describe an answer.

What percentage of participants recalled aspects they could not have seen?

71% of participants recalled aspects of the event that they could not have possibly seen.

What factors influence eyewitness testimony?

  • Misleading information
  • Post-event discussion
  • Anxiety

What does the substitution explanation propose in the Loftus and Palmer experiment?

Substitution explanation proposes that wording of a leading question actually changes the participant's memory of a film clip. Critical word can alter memory.

What does memory conformity mean in the context of Gabbert and Colleagues (2003)?

Witnesses may go along with each other because they want to win social approval and they conform.

Describe Loftus and Palmer's 1974 Experiment 1.

  • 45 students watched 7 films of traffic accidents.
  • Given a questionnaire with a critical question on car speed using different verbs.

What was the critical question asked one week later in the Loftus and Palmer experiment?

One week later, the critical question was: "Did you see any broken glass, yes or no?" There was none in the video.

What does the study by Gabbert and Colleagues (2003) show about information pickup?

This shows they picked up the information from the discussion that they did with the other witness.

What were the independent and dependent variables in Loftus and Palmer's experiment?

  • IV: The verb in the questions
  • DV: The speed reported by participants

What were the results for the "smashed," "hit," and control groups regarding the broken glass question?

Results were:
  • Smashed: 16 yes, 34 no
  • Hit: 7 yes, 43 no
  • Control: 6 yes, 44 no

What is the concept of "prime"?

Earlier stimulus which affects later behavior.

How can questioning techniques affect memory according to the Loftus and Palmer experiment?

Questioning techniques easily distort memory, and info acquired after an event can merge with original memory, leading to inaccurate recall or reconstructive memory.

Define "schema" in the context of eyewitness testimony.

Contains knowledge about the aspects of the world, helping us become more sophisticated with experience.

What is the role of post-event discussion in memory distortion?

Misleading information can be counted as a discussion after an event. Memories can become contaminated as a result of what other people saw.

How did the verb used in questions affect participants' speed estimates?

The estimated speed was affected by the verb used, acting as a prime triggering schema to influence answers.

How can eyewitness testimony be biased?

Biased by the way questions are asked after the crime.

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