Deck 7: Section 1: Eyewitness Identification and Testimony

Question 1

How does human memory operate? How is it different from a video recording? If people are sure they remember the situation well, does it mean their memories are more accurate than memories of those who are not as sure?

Answer 1

Main points:
• Memory has three component processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
• Errors in memory can occur at each of the 3 stages of the process.
• The biochemical representation of memory in the brain--memory trace--deteriorates over time.
• Studies found that the certainty of eyewitnesses about their memories does not correlate with the accuracy of these memories.

Question 2

Describe three research findings regarding improving eyewitness accuracy.

Answer 2

Any three of the following can be described in the essay:
• Blind lineup administration (when a person administering a lineup or photo spread does not know who the suspect is and whether the suspect is in the lineup).
• Bias-reducing instruction to eyewitnesses (when they are told that the suspect may not be in the lineup or spread).
• Unbiased lineup (when fillers are similar enough to the suspect so that "mock witnesses" would not pick out the suspect more often than 1/6 of the time for a 6-person lineup).
• Confidence ratings (should be taken from the witness right after identification but BEFORE any feedback is given about that identification).
• Video recording of the identification procedure (to avoid any guessing afterwards about what transpired during the identification).
• Sequential lineups (showing photos or people in the lineup one by one so that the witness would compare them to the memory rather than to each other).
• Expert testimony (studies showed that when jurors hear an expert explain research findings about eyewitness identification and common errors associated with it, they are less likely to overestimate the accuracy of eyewitness accounts).

Question 3

Describe the post-identification feedback effect and give an example. What is the role of cognitive dissonance in this process?

Answer 3

Main points:
• Many studies document the post-identification feedback effect.
• This effect happens when witnesses are given some sort of clear feedback confirming or disconfirming their identification of the suspect. As a result, they subconsciously increase or decrease their certainty about their memories of the event and suspect.
• Thus, postidentification feedback effect distorts the memories based on feedback received.
• Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort a person experiences if he or she holds conflicting views of the same situation. Thus, feedback causes people to "adjust" their level of certainty about their memories out of the desire to avoid uncomfortable uncertainty.