PSY328H1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Penrod, Suggestibility, Cognitive Dissonance
Document Summary
Errors in memory can occur at each stage (encoding, storage, retrieval) How the legal system attempts to expose eyewitness bias. Possibilities for error: ability of witness to observe lighting is poor, witness sees crime for distance, poor eyesight, witness looking away. Most elements of typical script were there but key elements not part of the evidence presented (pulling a gun, taking the money) as predicted, these excluded elements found their way into the mock juror"s memories of the crime. When the eyewitness is a child children provide less and somewhat less accurate information when responding to interview questions about what they witnessed. Children are about as accurate as adults when presented with lineups or photo spreads, but only if the true perpetrator is present in the lineup. If the true perpetrator is absent from the lineup (called a culprit-absent or target-absent lineup), children do more poorly. Might be because greater suggestibility of children.
