Question 1

One promising technique for improving the ability of an eyewitness to remember important information accurately is to relax the eyewitness and mentally reinstate the context surrounding the crime. This approach is known as a:

Accepted Answer

A)   regulatory focus.
B)   guided cognition.
C)   focused interrogation.
D)   cognitive interview. D

Question 2

Sabrina works as a bank teller. When one of the customers pointed a gun at her and demanded that she give him the key to the safe deposit box, she was so frightened that she could barely move. After the customer got the key, Sabrina was told to raise her hands and stand with her face into the wall for the rest of the time the bank robbery was unfolding. About 30 seconds passed between the time when Sabrina first saw the customer and the time she was told to turn to the wall with her hands raised. When recalling the event, she is likely to estimate that 30-second time period to have lasted about:

Accepted Answer

A)   15 seconds.
B)   30 seconds.
C)   1 minute.
D)   2 minutes. D

Question 3

The benefit of the cognitive interview is that:

Accepted Answer

A)   the eyewitness's memories become fragmented and well-defined.
B)   it requires the right space prepared for the cognitive interview.
C)   it helps the witness relax and mentally reinstate the details of the crime event.
D)   it arouses the eyewitness's senses to help restart the memory retrieval process. C

Question 4

Describe three best-practice recommendations regarding improving eyewitness accuracy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe three best-practice recommendations regarding improving eyewitness...

Question 5

The fact that eyewitness testimony is so powerful in influencing jurors is only a problem if:

Accepted Answer

A)   the witness is mistaken.
B)   the jurors return a guilty verdict.
C)   the case never goes to trial.
D)   expert testimony is given.

Question 6

A requirement to create an unbiased lineup seems obvious. However, there were many cases of lineups with the fillers not closely resembling the main suspect. Research found that such biased lineups lead to:

Accepted Answer

A)   the admission of guilt by the suspect.
B)   higher rates of innocent suspect identifications.
C)   lower rates of correlation with photo spread identification.
D)   bystanders intervening in shaming the unfair procedure.

Question 7

Eyewitnesses depend on _____ to identify or describe a suspect.

Accepted Answer

A)   scientists
B)   intuition
C)   memory
D)   evidence

Question 8

_____ is the part of the memory process that involves accessing and pulling out stored information at a later time.

Accepted Answer

A)   Storage
B)   Retrieval
C)   Encoding
D)   Priming

Question 9

Cross-race effect has been shown to maintain consistent strength:

Accepted Answer

A)   regardless of exposure to races other than one's own.
B)   despite special training intended to reduce it.
C)   for people of different ages.
D)   for those from bi-racial families.

Question 10

In addition to issues with memory in general, other things can introduce biases. Studies show that interference can take place during the process of identification of a suspect: Witnesses may feel more certain about their memory of an event or perpetrator as a result of _____ and _____.

Accepted Answer

A)   stress; concern
B)   biased questioning; stress
C)   lineup procedures; confusion
D)   biased questioning; lineup procedures

Question 11

When it comes to choosing between simultaneous and sequential lineups:

Accepted Answer

A)   some research shows an advantage for simultaneous lineups while other research shows an advantage for sequential ones.
B)   the biggest level of difficulty is to pass legislation that would mandate changes in the lineup procedures.
C)   prosecutors' misunderstanding of what research studies mean for their practices makes it close to impossible to change the procedures.
D)   sequential lineups are favored by the prosecution side while simultaneous lineups are favored by the defense side.

Question 12

Research is an important part of understanding how eyewitness accounts are derived. As such, a range of factors are often considered. Such factors as the procedures for constructing lineups and questioning witnesses are called:

Accepted Answer

A)   system variables.
B)   dependent variables.
C)   independent variables.
D)   estimator variables.

Question 13

Cutler, Penrod, and Dexter (1990) conducted several experiments exposing mock jurors to expert testimony about the _____ of eyewitness identification. The authors of this study found that participants who were NOT exposed to the expert testimony _____ the accuracy of eyewitnesses.

Accepted Answer

A)   threats to the accuracy; underestimated
B)   threats to the accuracy; overestimated
C)   accuracy; disregarded
D)   accuracy; improved

Question 14

Bias-reducing instructions are used to assist eyewitnesses to be accurate in their identification of a suspect. An example of such instructions, as noted in the text, is telling the eyewitness that _____ in the lineup or photo spread.

Accepted Answer

A)   the true criminal might not be
B)   the true criminal is likely to be
C)   the entire case rests on the selection of someone
D)   the detective has a strong feeling that one of the suspects might be

Question 15

According to the text, what we generally see and remember is impacted by what we expect to see. This tendency to maintain firmly held beliefs about a sequence of expected behaviors is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

A)   retrieval inhibition.
B)   preexisting scripts.
C)   meta-analysis.
D)   unconscious transference.

Question 16

The Manson criteria, emphasized by courts, consist of five factors to be taken into account when evaluating eyewitness identification accuracy. Which criterion is the most problematic one, according to the text?

Accepted Answer

A)   The level of attention the witness was paying to what was going on.
B)   The witness's degree of certainty about his or her memory of the event.
C)   The amount of time between the crime and the identification event.
D)   The accuracy of the witness's previous descriptions of the event or perpetrator.

Question 17

Certain ways of initial questioning of the eyewitness can significantly alter his recall of the crime scene. Retrieval inhibition occurs when an individual:

Accepted Answer

A)   selectively recalls some aspects of a situation while other aspects get ignored.
B)   initially forgets some aspects of a crime scene but then recalls them days or weeks later.
C)   selectively recalls some aspects of a situation but cannot clearly express them in words.
D)   generally inhibits verbal information while accurately retrieving visual memories.

Question 18

According to a study completed by Morgan and his colleagues (2004), stress appears to have an effect on eyewitness identification. Based on the study results, the rate of correct identification was _____ in low-stress conditions.

Accepted Answer

A)   higher
B)   lower
C)   similar
D)   None of the above is correct about eyewitness identification.

Question 19

According to research studies on eyewitness identification that are described in the text, which one of the following statements is INCORRECT?

Accepted Answer

A)   People tend to overestimate the duration of a brief event.
B)   It is more difficult for people to recognize the faces of others outside of their racial group.
C)   High-stress conditions usually increase the rate of correct identifications.
D)   Seeing the perpetrator hold a weapon impairs the witnesses' ability to recognize the assailant.

Question 20

Research findings indicate that there are several drawbacks to using hypnosis in forensic settings. Which one of the following statements about the use of hypnosis is INCORRECT?

Accepted Answer

A)   People remember less but what they do recall under hypnosis is more accurate.
B)   Hypnosis can elicit false memories.
C)   The effects of suggestive questioning are amplified under hypnosis.
D)   After hypnosis, eyewitnesses are more confident about what they remember.

Exam 7: Eyewitness Identification and Testimony