Factors affecting the accuracy of EWT- PED

what is post event discussion?

More than one witness where they may discuss what they have seen. This may influence the accuracy of each witness's recall of the event.

why does post event discussion affect the accuracy of EWT?

causes source monitoring error, memory conformity, memory contamination. memory is reconstructive

what is source monitoring error?

misidentifying the source of a memory

what is memory conformity?

Witnesses go along with each other to win social approval/ believe other person is correct

what is memory contamintaion?

information is added to memory after the event has occurred which can be misleading, reducing the accuracy of the witnesses' recall

what is meant by the reconstructive nature of memory?

memories are built and rebuilt over time, incorporating new information and interpretations

Gabbert et al. (2003)

examined the effects of PED on memory recall. 60 uni students and 60 older adults, randomly allocated conditions. paired participants watched a videos of the same crime (girl stealing a wallet) but filmed from different view points, then discussed what they saw before individual recall. 71% in co witness group recalled false info, 60% accused her of being guilty- hadn't seen her commit a crime. 0% in control group. concluded that PED can lead to memory distortions

support for PED Paterson and Kemp (2006)

research reinforces the validity of Gabbert et al.'s findings as demonstrates that ped is not only common but highly influential in eyewitness memory. found 86% witnesses reported discussing the events with others before giving their statement and unknowingly absorbed incorrect details. supports Gabbert's conclusion of ped causing memory conformity through social influence during discussion. implies ped can genuinely later memory through source monitoring errors, highlighting how social interactions negatively affect memory accuracy

artificial tasks limit realism of findings

many studies into PED use artificial tasks. Gabbert et al. used stage crime videos which lack the same emotional impact as witnessing a real crime. means that findings may not generalise well to real- world memory distortion, reducing the ecological validity. however, Skagerberg and Wright found similar memory distortion effects in real-life settings, e.g. actual EW interview. shows even outside of lab witnesses sometimes include misleading details after discussion. whilst lab studies may lack realism, the idea that ped affects accuracy of recall still seems to apply IRL

warnings can reduce the effects of PED

the effects of PED aren't always consistent and can be reduced with warnings. Bodner et al. (2009) found that when participants were warned about effects of PED before discussing an event their memories were more accurate. suggests the negative effects of PED can be reduced if people made aware of the risks. PED may not always threaten EW accuracy if people made aware beforehand