Eyewitness Testimony Study - Essay Example

Topic: Loftus and Palmer (1974) Eyewitness Testimony Study Loftus and Palmer (1974) Eyewitness Testimony Study Introduction Eyewitnesses are also referred to as first hand informants in reflex to past events in an investigation. Most investigations relay on the testimony of an eyewitness to create a vivid scenario of the activities that took course in the time of the events being investigated (Terrell 2008. Pg36). In this case, memory serves as an essential entity in the provision of eyewitness testimonies. This is due to the fact that it palaces the events in the investigation into the imagination of the investigators thus enabling easy analysis of cases and the provision of judgment. The ability to have clear memories is used to measure the validity of information provided by an eyewitness in the context of an investigation report. Concept of false memory and change the hypothesis Loftus and Palmer demonstrate that human cognitive process is prone to distortion thus memory is may not give actual facts and figures of an event (Yamauchi 2010. Pg3). In this case, investigators use various methods to determine the validity of information. Memories can be distorted by a series of information processed by the mind between the time of event occurrence and the period in which an eyewitness relays information on the chronology of events. The concepts that tend to influence eyewitness implications include false memory and reconstruction of hypothesis. The validity of an eyewitness testimony can be determined by regular revision of the actual testimony (Kapardis 2009. Pg58). Eyewitnesses may provide false memory or forget important details of the event being testified thus change the hypothesis of the testimony. This aspect provides a different implication in the validity of information being presented by the eyewitness. Loftus and Palmer present an experiment that is used to counter distortion of the original information thus determining validity in eyewitness testimony. The experiment uses the relation between dependant and independent variables to determine validity of information from eyewitnesses. The experiment focuses of affirming the theory that human cognitive process is prone to the provision of false memory and distortion of hypothesis due to the nervous activities experienced in daily basis. Loftus and Palmer experiment A sample of 45 students is interviewed individually in the first experiment to determine their testimony on a car accident they witnessed. The interviewer asks questions with the same answer but using different key words to analyze the response of the students. This experiment is used to determine distortion of hypothesis in statement presentation. The experiment is repeated after a specific period of time using the same formality with different set of questions in the same scenario. The second phase uses a broken glass instead of the car crash action. This is to determine false memory in the eyewitnesses. The independent variable in both cases is the keyword being used in a question while the dependent variable in the first set of questions is the speed estimate of the participant in responding to questions while in the second phase is asserting the visual of the respondent for instance, did he or she see the broken glass. The experiments affirm the theory that memories are basically not precise records of human experiences (Loftus & Palmer 1974. Pg586). Result and analysis The key words used in the experiment include; smashed, collided, bumped, hit and contacted. In the first experiment, most students responded swiftly to the question with ‘hit’ as the key word since it creates more intensity in the action. The few who responded slowly to the question with hit as the key word said they did not see the car crush. The second phase had most students responding well to ‘smash’ since it shows the intensity in broking glass. The few students who responded slowly said they did not see broken glass. The experiment depicts different set of reactions to witnesses who had a glimpse or the accident occurring or were at the scene when the accident had already happened. As a result, eyewitnesses will tend to react differently when questioned about a scenario in which they witnessed in relation to the concept of false memory and change of hypothesis. The result is used to explain the fact that many people tend to ignore miner details in complex events such as traffic accidents (Loftus & Palmer 1974. Pg588). In this case, eyewitnesses of complex event may give false reports as a result of false memory as they did not pay keen attention to the minute and easily forgettable details. The concept can be applied in religious teachings as people may interpret a message differently without paying attention to miner details in sermons. Many Christians have fallen victim of false memory as the relay a message differently from its intended meaning thus serving as false witnesses (AZUSA PASIFIC 2012. Pg12). Strengths Loftus and Palmer experiment has various strengths which makes the study valid. The experiment allows a precise control of the variables for conclusive results. The aim of the experiment is to identify as well as isolate a single key variable in the independent variables list and observe its effect when related with the dependent variable (Yuille & Cutshall 1984. Pg71). This aspect enables the observer to make conclusive results as the flexibility in interchanging of variables enable the observer to identify the perfect fit that plays a key role in arriving at correct results. For instance, the key word in the first phase experiment ‘hit’ blends perfectly with the speed in the reaction with the interviewee. The strength in the word triggers memory in the participant causing them to recall the minor detail being asked in the question which is the speed at which the cars were traveling before the accident. The independent variable in the second phase of the experiment is ‘smash’ which triggers the belief of seeing broken glass in the accident. In this case, the relation between the independent and dependant variables achieves the objective of the study which is to investigate how information presented to a witness after the event being testified influences the memory of the witness for that particular event. Reconstructive hypothesis can be used to argue that the experiments are from a similar event which is an aspect that can alter eyewitness testimony. This notion is used to test the change in hypothesis as eye witnesses who have experienced several accidents before being interviewed to provide details of one of the events may not recall on which instance the details being provided are sourced. Limitations The experiments carried out by Loftus and Palmer has limitations since it is not carried out in a real life situation. The students only respond to an accident they watch on television. It can be argued that the events are not in a real life perspective thus an eyewitness in a real event may respond differently to the one in the experiment (Yuille & Cutshall 1984. Pg292). This aspect is depicted when the participants are told to present their speed estimates. They do not show any involvement in the real events. An eye witness who has witnessed the real accident would show some involvement in the action through the fluctuation of emotional levels resulting from tension. The use of students as samples in the experiment also creates another limitation to the experiment. This is due to the fact that students may not have much experience in the road such as drivers thus may not estimate speed in a manner close to accuracy. As a result, the involvement of students as experiment samples cannot be used to represent the general public. Advantages The advantages to the Loftus and Palmer experiment include: i. The students were able to give genuine responses. The experiment used a video caption to represent the real event thus it was easier to tell whether or not the students we being genuine with their responses. ii. The experiment was cost effective as it did not involve a tour to the actual site of the accident iii. The use of independent and dependent variable presents an aspect of expertise in research and analysis thus the Loftus and Palmer used a practical experiment in the study. iv. The results of the experiment are conclusive as the methodology of the experiments does not present errors. Disadvantages The disadvantages in the experiment include: i. In the experiment, only the obvious questions are asked while in the real situation the major details are usually given much consideration in the witness interview. In this case, questions that may result to detailed information are more than the obvious question in a real situation witness interrogation. ii. The experiment uses less experienced sample to provide detailed conclusions. For instance, students who do not have any experience in driving may not know how to estimate the velocity of a moving car in a video. Significance of Loftus and Palmer (1974) Eyewitness Testimony Study Loftus and Palmer (1974) Eyewitness Testimony Study is relevant as it can be applied in a variety of fields involving eyewitness testimonies. For instance in a courtroom and a police interrogation, the study can be used to determine the validity of the information being provided by a witness. It provides the experience for the jury and judges in determining whether a witness is changing hypothesis or presenting false memory. Conclusion Loftus and Palmer confirm that eyewitness reports are prone to errors and false interpretation as they depend on memory which is not good in keeping account. Loftus and Palmer should therefore be considered in the affirmation of eyewitness testimonies as it advocates for accuracy in testimonial presentations and reports. Reference AZUSA PASIFIC Uni. 2012. Faith Integration: FACULTY GUIDEBOOK 2012-2013. California. Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment, the Office of Faith Integration, and the Faith Integration Council Kapardis A. 2009. Psychology and Law: A Critical Introduction Loftus E, F and Palmer J, C. 1974. Reconstruction of Automobile Destruction: An Example of the Interaction Between Language and Memory’. Washington. University of Washington Terrell J, T. 2008. Eyewitness Testimony in Civil Litigation: Retention, Suggestion, and Misinformation in Product Identification. Texas: ProQuest Yamauchi T. 2010. Human Cognitive Processes: psyc 345 (H). Dept. of Psychology, Texas A&M University Yuille, J. C., and Cutshall, J.L. 1986. A case study of eyewitness memory of a crime. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 291-301. Read More