Question 1

Most people believe that high stress _____ but empirical studies find that stress has _____ effect on memory.

Accepted Answer

A)  aids memorization; almost no 
B)  aids memorization; a detrimental 
C)  hurts memorization; almost no 
D)  hurts memorization; a boosting

Question 2

According to research by Penrod & Cutler (1999), estimates of time during the course of a stressful event are _____ the actual length of the event.

Accepted Answer

A)  about half of 
B)  almost twice 
C)  three to four times 
D)  over ten times

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the post-identification feedback effect and give...

Question 4

When presented with a lineup, Morgan was able to identify the perpetrator of the robbery she had witnessed. She was not sure of her identification at first, but when the investigator mentioned that another witness also chose the same suspect, her confidence that she remembered the perpetrator well grew close to 100%. This is an illustration of:

Accepted Answer

A)  preexisting scripts. 
B)  unconscious transference. 
C)  post-identification feedback effect. 
D)  bias-reducing instructions.

Question 5

According to psychologists who study memory, it is useful to distinguish between _____ component processes.

Accepted Answer

A)  two 
B)  three 
C)  four 
D)  five

Question 6

When doing research on eyewitness memory, social scientists often look at many factors. Factors that are outside the control of the legal system are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

The biggest problem regarding the use of the cognitive interview with eyewitnesses is the difficulties that police have with:

Accepted Answer

A)  adopting the interviewing style that is so different from their usual one. 
B)  creating the right space required for the cognitive interview. 
C)  preventing the interviewee from slipping into a hypnotic state. 
D)  avoiding the creation of erroneous memories during the cognitive interview.

Question 8

Tracy witnessed two men holding up a bank, both wearing camouflage pants. When questioned about the crime, she had a good recall for the pants and described these pants in detail to the police. When she was questioned about the crime a month later, she still remembered the pants but had a poor recall for other details. This phenomenon is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  decay theory. 
B)  retrieval inhibition. 
C)  unconscious transference. 
D)  the bystander effect.

Question 9

Ashley stopped at the bank to deposit her paycheck, and then stopped at a nearby gas station to pick up a few grocery items. While she was at the gas station, a robber entered with his gun drawn and ordered everybody, including Ashley, to raise their hands and move to the back wall. After the robber gathered all the money from the cash register and collected the customers' wallets, he left. Later, at the police station, Ashley has mistakenly given a description of a bank teller's face when asked to describe the robber. This phenomenon is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  retrieval inhibition. 
B)  retrieval disinhibition. 
C)  unconscious transference. 
D)  unconscious scripts.

Question 10

When assembling a lineup, it is very important to make sure that the suspect does not stand out from the _____ because a biased lineup can lead to the _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  scripts; identification results being thrown out by the judge 
B)  scripts; true suspect not being recognized by the eyewitness 
C)  fillers; innocent suspect being misidentified by the eyewitness 
D)  fillers; true suspect not being recognized by the eyewitness

Question 11

Studies have analyzed wrongful conviction cases that were later overturned because DNA testing proved the wrongfully convicted person innocent. Of the following major causes of wrongful convictions, which one is found to be the most prevalent?

Accepted Answer

A)  False confessions. 
B)  Forensic science problems. 
C)  Eyewitness misidentification. 
D)  Faulty informant (or jailhouse "snitch") testimony.

Question 12

Even though the Supreme Court _____ the Manson framework, several states continue to _____ criteria established in Manson.

Accepted Answer

A)  tried to amend; apply the scientifically proven 
B)  refused to amend; reexamine the outdated 
C)  amended; refuse to apply the 
D)  amended; apply the outdated

Question 13

When an eyewitness is a child, it is likely that the accuracy of information the child can provide is _____ that provided by an adult.

Accepted Answer

A)  higher compared to 
B)  lower compared to 
C)  very similar to 
D)  more likely to be impacted by retrieval inhibition than

Question 14

_____ is the term used to describe the biochemical representation of our experiences within the brain, which are known to deteriorate over time.

Accepted Answer

A)  Heuristics 
B)  Bottom-up processing 
C)  Top-down processing 
D)  Memory trace

Question 15

In the reconstruction of memory, it is not uncommon to find that distortions may take place at any stage. The following statement about this process is INCORRECT:

Accepted Answer

A)  With encoding, we may select only some aspects of the event when forming the memory. 
B)  Memory traces deteriorate with time passing. 
C)  Various sounds encoded during memory formation are the easiest part to retrieve. 
D)  Distortions of memories can occur during the process of retrieval.

Question 16

According to the text, the cross-race effect is present in babies as young as _____ old, and _____ from childhood to adulthood.

Accepted Answer

A)  9 months; increases dramatically 
B)  9 months; is consistently strong 
C)  18 months; gets somewhat reduced 
D)  18 months; increases dramatically

Question 17

Which one of the following Manson criteria can be highly misleading, according to research findings?

Accepted Answer

A)  The witness's level of attention. 
B)  The amount of time between witnessing the crime and making the identification. 
C)  The degree of certainty asserted by the witness. 
D)  The witness's opportunity to view the perpetrator.

Question 18

Hypnosis was once considered a promising technique for refreshing witnesses' memories. However, it turned out to have some serious downsides. These downsides include the following, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  Hypnosis can elicit false memories. 
B)  Hypnosis can boost the witness's confidence in a misconstrued memory. 
C)  The effects of suggestive questioning can be amplified by hypnosis. 
D)  The most vivid memories can be suppressed by hypnosis.

Question 19

The process of having an eyewitness look at one person or photograph at a time is referred to as a _____ lineup.

Accepted Answer

A)  simultaneous 
B)  coinciding 
C)  sequential 
D)  consequential

Question 20

Research on improving eyewitness identification procedures is especially important in light of considerable human costs to false identification. Which one of the following is NOT among these costs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Lives of the wrongly identified innocent people could be shattered. 
B)  Eyewitnesses who later discover their mistakes must live with a sense of guilt. 
C)  The misidentified suspects are forced to falsely confess. 
D)  The real criminals remain free to commit more crimes.

Exam 7: Eyewitness Identification and Testimony

Most people believe that high stress _ but empirical studies find that stress has _ effect on memory.

According to research by Penrod & Cutler (1999) , estimates of time during the course of a stressful event are _____ the actual length of the event.