Eyewitness testimony Basil alsaleh Ammar fadag Witness characteristics

Eyewitness testimony Basil alsaleh Ammar fadag

Witness characteristics • Intelligence. • Mood • alcohol • Distinguishing marks • Age • Confidence • gender

Intelligence • No relationship has been found between intelligence (within normal ranges) and the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. • People with intellectual disability are concerned, but they can give accurate witness testimony when asked by open, free recall question

Mood • Mood-congruency effect: People find it easier to recall an event when they are in similar mood when witnessing • Enhancing witness memory: “the cognitive interview technique.

Alcohol • Intoxication could render a witness’s recollections inaccurate • Alcohol abuse afflicts societies, few doubt that it impairs many sensory motor and cognitive functions.

AGE • Reduction in cognitive capacity • Memory dysfunction • Having tendency to remember less, and less accurate that young witnesses.

Gender • Males suffer from color deficiency and hearing loss. • Males gives more details when the perpetrator have injuries than women. • Women gives many details when the male suspect is physically attractive.

Distinguishing marks • During line-up, in the UK and the US they conceal a mark by a black mask over it, so the line-up is fair.

When the Witness is being confident? • Positive feedback upon his/her testimony • Suspect having distinguishing marks • Ability to make second-order judgement about their first-order judgement • Co-witness peer discussion • If cued recall is used ( list/ memory recalls) • If the witness is informed that other people identified same person

Legal Aspects of Eyewitness Testimony . I

II. Variables That Impact on Eyewitness Testimony Accuracy Distance • Passage of Time • Frequency • Illumination •