StudyXY
RegisterLog in
Back to AI Flashcard MakerPsychology /Positive Psychology: WJEC: CONTEMP DEBATE: Eye Witness Testimony

Positive Psychology: WJEC: CONTEMP DEBATE: Eye Witness Testimony

Psychology6 CardsCreated about 2 months ago

Cognitive psychologists view memory as a reconstructive process, making eyewitness testimony prone to distortion—especially under stress, suggestion, or in children. Techniques like the cognitive interview help enhance accuracy by minimizing bias and encouraging detailed recall.

PrintEmbedImportReport

How do you cognitive psychologists explain memory regarding eye witness testimonies?

They agree that most memories are generally reconstructions of events rather than exact versions.

Loftus and Palmer, for instance, believed that eyewitness memories are prone to all sorts of inferences and distortions and can be very unreliable.
Children, especially young children are vulnerable to suggestions and hence reconstruction of their memories, as they have a tendency to be more compliant to please the questionnaire.
*Anxiety another stress related issues can also affect adults’ memory.

Tap or swipe ↕ to flip
Swipe ←→Navigate
1/6

Key Terms

Term
Definition

How do you cognitive psychologists explain memory regarding eye witness testimonies?

They agree that most memories are generally reconstructions of events rather than exact versions.

<...

How may trauma affect memory?

For cognitive psychologists, a REAL traumatic, one-off event is remembered very well and those interviewed are not vulnerable to leading questions ...

What techniques can be used to improve eyewitness testimony

  • Interviewing a witness sooner after the event than later.

  • Using questioning techniques that avoid leading questions to preve...

What other variables should be taken into account in eyewitness testimony?

  • The age of the witness,

  • the amount of anxiety experienced at the time,

  • the length of time between the event a...

What are the ethical issues surrounding eyewitness testimony?

  • Eyewitnesses may deceive juries and innocent people may go to jail.

  • There should be strong guidelines when interviewing chil...

What are the economic implications of eyewitness testimony issues?

Cognitive interview techniques can be cost-effective, and reduce the the probability of innocent people being convicted which leads to retrials and...

Log in to view all terms

Related Flashcard Decks

Psychology

Psychologie du Développement

Ce jeu de cartes couvre les concepts clés, l'histoire, et les méthodes de la psychologie du développement, y compris les contributions de figures influentes et les théories du développement.

10 cards
View Deck
Psychology

2023-2025 Year 12 A-Level Psychology: Psychopathology: The Cognitive Explanation

These flashcards explore how the cognitive approach explains depression as being linked to internal mental processes. They clarify that negative and irrational thoughts don’t directly cause depression but instead increase vulnerability to it, as proposed by cognitive psychologists Ellis and Beck.

50 cards
View Deck
Psychology

2023-2025 Year 12 A-Level Psychology: Psychopathology: The Behavioural, Emotional

These flashcards describe the three main categories of psychological characteristics — behavioural, cognitive, and emotional — and identify specific behavioural and cognitive symptoms of depression, such as disrupted sleep or eating patterns, poor concentration, negative thinking patterns, and black-and-white thinking.

23 cards
View Deck
Psychology

2023-2025 Year 12 A-Level Psychology: Psychopathology: The Behavioural Treatments Of Phobias

These flashcards explain behavioural methods used to treat phobias, including systematic desensitisation and flooding. They highlight how these therapies use classical conditioning principles to help individuals unlearn maladaptive responses by breaking the association between the conditioned stimulus and the fear response.

37 cards
View Deck
Psychology

2023-2025 Year 12 A-Level Psychology: Psychopathology: The Behavioural Explanation Of Phobias

These flashcards outline how the behaviourist approach explains phobias as learned behaviours. They describe the two-process model, which involves classical and operant conditioning, showing how fear responses are acquired through association and maintained through reinforcement.

30 cards
View Deck
Psychology

2023-2025 Year 12 A-Level Psychology - Research Methods: Sampling Techniques - KU

A Target Population is the large group of individuals that a researcher is interested in studying. It represents everyone who fits the criteria for the research, from which a smaller sample is usually selected for the actual study.

34 cards
View Deck

Study Tips

  • Press F to enter focus mode for distraction-free studying
  • Review cards regularly to improve retention
  • Try to recall the answer before flipping the card
  • Share this deck with friends to study together
Positive Psychology: WJEC: CONTEMP DEBATE: Eye Witness Testimony
TermDefinition

How do you cognitive psychologists explain memory regarding eye witness testimonies?

They agree that most memories are generally reconstructions of events rather than exact versions.

Loftus and Palmer, for instance, believed that eyewitness memories are prone to all sorts of inferences and distortions and can be very unreliable.
Children, especially young children are vulnerable to suggestions and hence reconstruction of their memories, as they have a tendency to be more compliant to please the questionnaire.
*Anxiety another stress related issues can also affect adults’ memory.

How may trauma affect memory?

For cognitive psychologists, a REAL traumatic, one-off event is remembered very well and those interviewed are not vulnerable to leading questions or attempts to distort their memories.

But watching videos of faked traumatic events, such as car crashes, can leave ppts vulnerable to memory distortion and manipulation.

What techniques can be used to improve eyewitness testimony

  • Interviewing a witness sooner after the event than later.

  • Using questioning techniques that avoid leading questions to prevent suggestibility.

  • Encouraging the witness to be as detailed as possible and to recall feelings at the time.

  • Use of different questions to access memory from different angles.

  • Asking a witness to review what happened in reverse as well as in normal chronological order.

  • These are summarised in the cognitive interview technique.

What other variables should be taken into account in eyewitness testimony?

  • The age of the witness,

  • the amount of anxiety experienced at the time,

  • the length of time between the event and the interview,

  • the style of questioning.

What are the ethical issues surrounding eyewitness testimony?

  • Eyewitnesses may deceive juries and innocent people may go to jail.

  • There should be strong guidelines when interviewing children, because they are more vulnerable to suggestibility.

What are the economic implications of eyewitness testimony issues?

Cognitive interview techniques can be cost-effective, and reduce the the probability of innocent people being convicted which leads to retrials and the cost of police and court time.