PSY 344 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Eyewitness Testimony, Hung Jury, Trial
Document Summary
Eyewitness testimony: people have been wrongly convicted due to fingerprints. No scientific requirement for how many points it takes to match a fingerprint. Penny demonstration: pick non suspect out of lineup= nonreliable witness, persuasiveness of ew testimony. If in building and run from building no proof that committed crime, but can be inferred by police: loftus (1974, 1979) study. Circumstantial evidence only- have to make inference from. Circumstantial evidence and eyewitness- eyewitness says that is the person they saw- 72% voted guilty. Circumstantial evidence and discredited eyewitness- says that is the guy but able to discredit it. Ex: eyewitness has poor vision, didn"t have glasses on- 68% voted guilty. 72-68% is a non-statistically different number: case of darrell edwards. Take darrel"s photo around- many eyewitnesses say that it was not him. One of them claims to have seen him just briefly from 271 feet away, at night, not wearing glasses, while high on heroin and drunk.
