Factors affecting EWT: leading questions

Eyewitness testimony: the ability of people to remember...

details of an event they observed

Accuracy of EWT affected by:

leading questions, anxiety, age

The Innocence project: 72% convictions overturned by DNA evidence were based on...

inaccurate eyewitness testimony

A leading question: suggests a certain... due to...

answer, the way it's phrased

Loftus + Palmer (1974) 1:

Aim: to see if...

leading questions would affect estimates of speed

Loftus + Palmer (1974) 1:

Procedure

45 students put in different groups

Shown .. clips of car accidents 5-30secs long

Asked "how fast were the cars going when they [...] into each other?"

Different verb for each group;

..., ..., ..., ..., ...

smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted

Loftus + Palmer (1974) 1:

Found verb "..." produced the highest mean estimate of speed and "..." produced lowest mean estimate

smashed, contacted

Loftus + Palmer (1974) 2:

150 participants watched 1 minute car crash film (.. seconds)

Asked "how fast were the cars going when they .../... each other?"

Control group: not asked about...

1 week later asked "...?" (there was none)

4, smashed, hit, speed, did you see any broken glass

Loftus + Palmer (1974) 2:

Found those who heard ... were more than twice as likely to recall seeing ... ...

smashed, broken glass

Loftus + Palmer (1974)

Conclusion: Leading questions can distort memory and ... witness' memory

alter

AO3- Evaluation: limitation

Can't generalise

Ppts were all students

Students not representative of general population

Factors such as ..., ... and ... can affect as students may be used to ... .../ ... ...

age, driving experience, educational experience, paying attention, being tested

AO3- Evaluation: limitation

Leading questions can contaminate witness testimony

Self-Administered Interview (SAI) reduces risk

SAI: booklet before interview with open ended questions and clear instructions

Therefore, indicates SAI can improve ... of EWT and reduce ... ... from leading questions

accuracy, memory contamination

AO3- Evaluation: limitation

Low ecological validity

Ppts knew it was an experiment

Real life = ... - ............

surprise, not paying attention