Eyewitness Psychology Lecture Notes

A set of flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on Eyewitness Psychology, focusing on the reliability of eyewitness testimony and the psychological principles involved in memory and identification.

Eyewitness Psychology

The study involving individuals who witnessed a crime and their reliability as witnesses.

Fallibility of Memory

A key concept in eyewitness psychology indicating that human memory can be inaccurate.

Wrongful Conviction

A situation where an innocent person is convicted of a crime they did not commit, often due to faulty eyewitness testimony.

Identification Process

The sequence of events where a witness identifies a suspect in a lineup or show-up.

Innocence Project

An organization that works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted through DNA testing and other means.

Post-Conviction DNA Testing

DNA analysis performed after a conviction to confirm or deny the guilt of an individual.

Target Present Lineup

A lineup in which the actual suspect is present among distractors.

Target Absent Lineup

A lineup that does not include the actual suspect.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable being manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable being measured to assess the effects of the independent variable.

Operational Definitions

Clear definitions of the variables to ensure that they can be measured effectively.

The Scientific Method

A systematic approach to research involving observation, prediction, experimentation, and conclusion.

Encoding

The process of acquiring and processing information into memory.

Consolidation

The process of stabilizing a memory trace after initial acquisition.

Retrieval

The process of recalling or accessing stored information from memory.

Flashbulb Memories

Vivid and detailed memories of significant events, which are not always accurate.

Sensory Memory

A very brief retention of sensory information.

Short-Term Memory

A temporary storage system with limited capacity and duration.

Long-Term Memory

A storage system with potentially unlimited capacity and duration.

Visuospatial Sketchpad

A component of working memory responsible for visual and spatial information.

Phonological Loop

A component of working memory that processes verbal information.

Episodic Buffer

A component of working memory that integrates information across modalities and links to long-term memory.

Episodic Memory

Memory of personal experiences and specific events.

Semantic Memory

Memory of general facts and knowledge.

Procedural Memory

Memory for motor skills and actions.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

A principle stating that optimal performance occurs at moderate levels of arousal.

Attentional Tunneling

A phenomenon where high arousal narrows focus to central details, often ignoring peripheral information.

Weapon Focus Effect

The tendency for eyewitnesses to focus on a weapon during a crime, impairing memory of other details.

Cross-Race Effect

The phenomenon where individuals have difficulty recognizing faces of other races.

Simultaneous Lineup

A type of lineup where all suspects are shown at once.

Sequential Lineup

A type of lineup where suspects are shown one at a time.

Misinformation Effect

The distortion of a memory due to exposure to misleading information after the event.

Memory Contamination

Alteration of a witness's memory due to discussing details with others or receiving misleading information.

Cognitive Interview

A structured interview technique aimed at facilitating accurate recall while minimizing memory contamination.

Source Monitoring Errors

Confusions about the origins of a memory.

Blind Administration

A procedure where the person administering a lineup does not know who the suspect is, to avoid bias.

Confidence Statement

A witness's self-reported certainty about their identification of a suspect, typically recorded immediately after the ID.

Co-Witness Effect

The phenomenon where discussions among witnesses can lead to memory contamination.

Field Dependence

A cognitive style where individuals process information in an integrative, holistic manner.

Self-Monitoring

An individual's awareness of social expectations and behaviors, which can influence testimony.

Composite Sketches

Visual representations created from a witness's description of a suspect, which may mislead memory.

Lineup Composition

The makeup of individuals in a lineup, ideally matching the description provided by the witness.

Fear of Crime Seriousness

Higher memory accuracy potentially associated with a witness's recognition of the crime's seriousness.

Transformational Leadership in Eyewitness Testimony

Leadership style promoting participation and improvement in eyewitness procedures.

Dual Process Theory

The theory suggesting two memory processes: recollection and familiarity.

Attentional Capacity

The amount of information an individual can process at a given time.

Encoding Specificity Principle

The idea that retrieval is most effective when the retrieval context matches the original encoding context.

Emotional Arousal Effect

The phenomenon where heightened emotions enhance memory formation for salient details.

Information Retrieval

The process of accessing stored information from memory.

Memory Interference

Disruption of memory retrieval by new or conflicting information.

Contextual Cues

External stimuli present during encoding that can aid in the retrieval of memories.

Exposure Time Effects

The impact of the length of time a witness is exposed to an event on their memory accuracy.

Emotional Memory Consolidation

The process by which emotional experiences become embedded in memory, often during sleep.

False Memories

Recollections that people believe to be true but are actually distorted or fabricated.

Cognitive Load

The mental effort required to process information.

Memory Decay

The gradual loss of memory retention over time.

Suggestibility

The degree to which a person's memory and report of an event can be influenced by external factors.

Trial-Theory Complexity

The challenges presented by the interplay of eyewitness testimony, psychological principles, and legal standards.

Neuroscience of Memory

The study of neurobiological processes underlying memory formation and retrieval.

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

Graph showing how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it.

Interrogation Recording

The practice of audio or video recording witness interrogations to ensure accuracy.