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Eyewitness testimony
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Learning objectives
Learning objectives
By the end of this section students will be able to:
Identify factors affecting eyewitness testimony
Outline research into eyewitness testimony
Identify and explain key features of the cognitive
interview technique
For more detailed instructions, see the Getting Started presentation
Icons key:
Flash activity (not editable)
Web links
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Teacher’s notes (in Notes Page)
Extension activity
Sound
Accompanying worksheet
Video
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Eyewitness testimony
Eyewitness testimony (EWT) is evidence given by someone
who has seen an incident or a crime.
This is an important area of memory research
because inaccurate eyewitness testimonies can
lead to wrongful convictions. Wells et al (1998)
cited 40 cases in America of people who were
wrongly convicted of crimes on the basis of
EWTs. They were later cleared using DNA
evidence. Five out of the 40 had even been on
death row for crimes they had not committed.
Research in this area has shown that memory is
subject to distortions and inaccuracies. Researchers
have therefore focused on identifying factors that are
associated with the reliability of EWT.
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Reconstructive memory
Do you remember things exactly as they happened?
According to Bartlett (1932), when we store information we
do not store an exact replica of what we were presented with,
rather we store the general idea. When we recall the
information, we engage in a process of reconstructing the
information to fit in with our own past experiences.
We store memories in terms
of our schemas. Schemas
are mental frameworks
(based on past experiences)
within which we organize
incoming information.
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Our schemas therefore help us
to reconstruct the memory, and
it is in this process that
inaccuracies lie. Schemas are
useful in enabling us to predict
our world, but they can lead to
distortions in memory.
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Factors affecting the accuracy of EWT
In small groups, see if you can think of any
factors which might affect the accuracy of
eyewitness testimonies.
When you have finished, feedback to the rest of
the class. Did you come up with the same ideas?
Researchers have identified several
factors which affect the accuracy of EWT:
anxiety
weapon focus
age of the witness
misleading post-event information.
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Anxiety and EWT
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Weapon focus and EWT
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Age of the witness and EWT
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