Crime Investigations: Witnesses I Flashcards

Flashcards on Crime Investigations: Witnesses I, covering estimator variables, system variables, the misinformation effect, and the false/repressed memory debate.

Estimator Variables

Variables that are present at the time of the crime and cannot be changed, influencing a person's perception.

System Variables

Variables that can be manipulated after the fact and impact the accuracy of witnesses.

Own Race Bias

Tendency for people to have difficulty identifying people of another race.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Memory is best at an optimum level of arousal. Efficiency of Memory is low at low points, at an optimal level, and when increasing arousal.

Easterbrook Hypothesis

Highly aroused witnesses have better memory for central details than peripheral details.

Weapons Focus Effect

Presence of a weapon draws attention and impairs a witness’ ability to identify a culprit.

System Variables

The delay between witnessing an event and giving a statement can affect memory

Misinformation Effect

Exposure to incorrect information about an event after it has occurred often causes people to incorporate this misinformation into their memories.

Repressed / False Memories Debate

The idea that therapists sometimes implant false memories of abuse in their patients, versus the belief that memories are of actual, repressed events that were later recovered.

Misinformation Effect : Research

Loftus (1975):

• Participants saw a car accident with a Stop sign.

• Some were asked a misleading question mentioning a Give Way sign.

• Later, when shown two pictures (Stop vs. Give Way), those exposed to the false info often chose the Give Way image, showing memory distortion due to suggestion.

Loftus & Palmer (1974):

• Participants watched a car crash and were asked about the speed using different verbs: "smashed" vs. "hit".

• Those asked “How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?” gave higher speed estimates.

• A week later, they were more than twice as likely to falsely recall seeing broken glass (there was none), showing how leading questions can implant false memories.

Implications of the Misinformation Effect

When police officers or lawyers ask questions that are framed by what they believe happened, witnesses may incorporate incorrect information into their memory for the event.