Module 5: Eyewitness Identification & Testimony Study Guide

Flashcards covering memory processes, factors affecting eyewitness accuracy, and methods for improving testimony based on Module 5 lecture and readings.

The memory process of __________ involves transforming sensory input into a form that can be potentially usable in the memory system.

Encoding

The memory process known as __________ refers to the retention of encoded information over time.

Storage

The memory process of __________ involves accessing or recovering stored information for use.

Retrieval

Eyewitness testimony is often found to be incredibly __________ to jurors when they are making decisions.

compelling

Eyewitness misidentification is a leading cause of __________ convictions in the criminal justice system.

wrongful

The __________ Criteria are the legal standards used to evaluate the reliability and admissibility of eyewitness identification.

Manson

One of the major weaknesses of the Manson Criteria is their reliance on __________ which can be difficult to measure objectively.

criteria

The phenomenon where people are better at recognizing faces of their own race than those of other races is the __________.

Cross-Race Effect

The difficulty in identifying perpetrators from other racial groups is often referred to as __________ Identifications.

Cross Racial

The __________ occurs when a witness's attention is diverted by a gun or knife, reducing their ability to remember other details.

Weapons Focus Effect

In general, high levels of __________ can negatively impact the accuracy of eyewitness perceptions.

Stress

High stress often impacts how a witness perceives the __________ an event takes during the observation of a crime.

length of time

Identifying a person seen in one context as being the perpetrator in a different context is known as __________.

Unconscious Transference

Eyewitness __________ has a tendency to increase over time due to various external factors.

confidence

The __________ effect describes the increase in witness certainty after they receive a positive response from an administrator.

post-identification feedback

__________ is the psychological state of discomfort that may lead a witness to maintain a wrong identification to stay consistent.

Cognitive Dissonance

Juror perceptions or use of testimony are strongly influenced by the witness's level of __________.

confidence

Factors that are under the direct control of the legal system are called __________ variables.

System

Factors that are beyond the control of the legal system, such as lighting or distance, are called __________ variables.

Estimator

To improve accuracy, research recommends using a __________ so the person presenting the lineup does not know the suspect.

blind lineup administrator

Telling a witness the culprit may or may not be in the lineup is an example of ___________ instructions.

bias-reducing

An unbiased lineup includes __________ (or foils) that match the general description of the suspect.

Fillers

Researchers recommend the __________ of the identification process to provide an objective account for the jury.

Video recording

In court, there is a recognized need for __________ to explain the nuances of memory to jurors.

experts

The __________ is a specific interviewing method used to improve the accuracy of witness recall.

Cognitive interview

Techniques for __________ eyewitness memory vary, and some are considered questionable regarding their effectiveness.

Refreshing

In her TedTalk, __________ discussed the fallibility of memory and how it can be manipulated.

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus

Jennifer Thompson famously misidentified __________ as her attacker.

Ronald Cotton

The study guide requires listing at least __________ reasons why Jennifer Thompson misidentified her attacker.

$$2-3$$

Ronald Cotton's __________ was the result of modern DNA testing proving his innocence.

exoneration

Stress can lead a witness to feel that the duration of a crime was __________ than it actually was.

longer

A witness who sees a familiar bystander and mistakenly identifies them as the criminal is experiencing __________.

Unconscious Transference

Confirmatory feedback from police is a primary cause of the __________ effect.

post-identification feedback

The way a lineup is constructed and presented is a __________ variable.

system

Environmental factors like the weather during the crime are considered __________ variables.

estimator

The use of __________ helps ensure that the suspect does not stand out unfairly in a lineup.

Fillers/Foils

Reliability of an identification is often questioned when a witness is subjected to __________ lineup instructions.

biased

The Cognitive Interview is designed to enhance the __________ process of memory.

Retrieval

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus's research suggests that human memory is not a permanent record but is __________.

malleable

One reason for Ronald Cotton's conviction was the __________ of the eyewitness, Jennifer Thompson.

misidentification

__________ variables are those that the police can change to improve identification accuracy.

System

The Manson Criteria were established to help judges decide on the __________ of eyewitness identification.

reliability

The __________ phase of memory is where information is maintained over time.

Storage

The __________ phase of memory is where sensory data is first transformed into a mental code.

Encoding

Wrongful convictions are often reversed years later through the use of __________ evidence.

DNA

The increase in confidence over time is often unrelated to the actual __________ of the memory.

accuracy

A mockup or lineup is considered __________ if the fillers do not resemble the witness's description.

biased

According to the transcript, a __________ can prevent an administrator from giving unintentional cues to a witness.

Blind lineup administrator

Experts are used to help jurors understand why a highly __________ witness might still be incorrect.

confident

The study of __________ explores the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval in legal contexts.

Eyewitness memory