7.2: Eyewitness Testimony and Memory Biases

Cross-Race Effect

The tendency for people to recognize faces of their own race more accurately than faces of other races.

Elizabeth Loftus

A psychologist known for her influential research on false memories and eyewitness testimony, especially studies showing how suggestion can distort memory.

Eyewitness Testimony

A person’s account of an event they personally witnessed, often used as evidence in court.

False Memories

Memories of events that did not actually happen or that are remembered very inaccurately.

Identifying Perpetrators

The process in which eyewitnesses attempt to identify the person who committed a crime, often through lineups or photo arrays.

Foils / Fillers

Individuals in a lineup who are known to be innocent but resemble the suspect. They help ensure the lineup is fair.

Photo Spreads

A group of photographs shown to a witness to help them identify the perpetrator of a crime.

Memory Biases

Systematic ways that memory can become distorted or inaccurate, often due to expectations, suggestion, or outside information.

Misinformation Effect

A memory error that occurs when incorrect information given after an event alters a person’s memory of that event.
ex) If someone is asked, “Did you see the broken headlight?” they may later remember seeing one even if it was never there.