Eye Witness Testimony EWT What is EWT n

Eye Witness Testimony EWT

What is EWT? n n An eye witness is anyone who has witnessed an event (usually a crime). Testimony is a statement given by the witness as an account of what happened.

How may factors affecting perception affect EWT? Reconstructive memory § Schema driven errors (Bartlett) n Effect of leading words § Reconstructive hypothesis (Carmicheal) n Other factors (More in AS and A 2) Weapon focus n Effects of anxiety/arousal n Age of witness n www. psychlotron. org. uk n

Reconstructive Memory n n Bartlett (1932) Memory is not a direct record of what was witnessed What is encoded and how it is retrieved depends on: Information already stored in memory n How this info is understood, structured and organised n www. psychlotron. org. uk n

Reconstructive Memory Schemas Knowledge structures that relate to commonly encountered objects, situations or people n Enable us to predict events, make sense of unfamiliar circumstances, organise our own behaviour n Act as filters to perception & recall n www. psychlotron. org. uk n

Computer Information Processing BANG! www. psychlotron. org. uk Can you wreck a nice beach?

Can you wreck a nice beach? Yes. I can recognis e speech. www. psychlotron. org. uk Schema Driven Processing

Carmichael (1932) Schem a Output ‘Pickaxe’ ‘Turf cutter’ www. psychlotron. org. uk Input

EWT: Schema Driven Errors Witnesses to crimes filter information during acquisition & recall Their schematic understanding may influence how info is both stored & retrieved n Distortions may occur without the witness realising n www. psychlotron. org. uk n

n n n Past experiences Assumptions about what usually happens Stereotypes & beliefs about crime & criminals www. psychlotron. org. uk EWT: Schema Driven Errors

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