Eyewitness testimony

Definition

Eyewitness testimony refers to the account given by individuals who have witnessed an event, often used in legal contexts to help establish facts about a crime or incident. This type of testimony can be crucial for court cases, but it is also highly susceptible to inaccuracies and distortions due to various psychological factors. The reliability of eyewitness accounts can be significantly impacted by attention-related phenomena and memory processes, which can alter what a witness believes they saw or experienced.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Eyewitness testimony is often considered one of the most persuasive forms of evidence in court, despite its potential for unreliability.
2. Factors such as stress during an event, the presence of a weapon, and the duration of the observation can all affect the accuracy of eyewitness accounts.
3. Memory can be influenced by post-event information, such as media coverage or leading questions during police interviews, which can lead to distortions in what witnesses recall.
4. Research shows that people are more likely to remember information that is consistent with their existing beliefs or expectations, which can skew their recollection of an event.
5. Eyewitness identification procedures, like lineups and show-ups, can result in false identifications due to biases in how options are presented to the witness.

Review Questions

• How do inattentional blindness and change blindness affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony?
  • Inattentional blindness and change blindness highlight how limited attention can lead to significant oversights during an event. When witnesses focus intensely on one aspect of a scene, they may completely miss other critical details or changes. This limitation can result in eyewitnesses being unable to accurately recount what they saw or experienced, further questioning the reliability of their testimonies in legal contexts.
• Discuss how memory reconstruction plays a role in the accuracy of eyewitness testimony and its implications for legal outcomes.
  • Memory reconstruction plays a crucial role in the accuracy of eyewitness testimony because memories are not fixed but rather dynamic processes that can be influenced by external factors. When individuals recall an event, their memories may be altered by new information or suggestions received after the event. This reconstruction can lead to inconsistencies and inaccuracies in what is reported, potentially affecting legal outcomes by misrepresenting the facts surrounding a case.
• Evaluate the impact of leading questions on eyewitness testimony and suggest measures that could improve its reliability in legal settings.
  • Leading questions can significantly distort eyewitness testimony by introducing bias and suggesting certain responses. When witnesses are asked questions that imply specific answers or include misinformation, their recollections may align with those cues rather than their actual memories. To improve reliability in legal settings, measures such as using open-ended questions during interviews, providing comprehensive training for law enforcement on interviewing techniques, and implementing standardized procedures for witness identification can help mitigate these effects and enhance the accuracy of eyewitness accounts.

Related terms

Inattentional Blindness:

A psychological phenomenon where a person fails to notice a fully visible but unexpected object because their attention is engaged on another task.

Change Blindness:

The failure to detect changes in a visual scene when those changes occur during a visual disruption, such as a brief obscuration.

Memory Reconstruction: The process of recalling past events that can be influenced by current beliefs, emotions, and external information, often leading to inaccuracies.