Deck 15: Social Psychology in Court

Question 1

Which of the following topics from the text is most pertinent to the case of David Milgaard, who was falsely convicted for a murder he did not commit?

A) Accuracy of eyewitness testimony
B) Characteristics of the jury
C) The jury as a group
D) All of the choices are correct

Answer 1

Accuracy of eyewitness testimony

Question 2

Lindsay, Wells, and Rumpel staged the same calculator theft under conditions that sometimes gave witnesses a clear view of the thief and sometimes didn't. When conditions were so poor that most witnesses misidentified an innocent person, _____ of the jurors believed the witness.

A) none
B) fewer than half
C) more than half
D) almost all

Answer 2

more than half

Question 3

For judges, among the factors to be considered in determining eyewitness accuracy is "the level of ____________ demonstrated by the witness."

A) impartiality
B) interest
C) certainty
D) fluency

Answer 3

certainty

Question 4

Research indicates that eyewitnesses who remember trivial details of a crime scene

A) also tend to overestimate the degree of harm or damage done as a result of the crime.
B) also tend to be particularly suspicious of all unfamiliar faces.
C) are less likely to have paid attention to the culprit's face.
D) are more likely to have paid attention to the culprit's face.

Question 5

Wells and his colleagues report that it's the ____________ eyewitness whom jurors find to be most believable.

A) older
B) younger
C) confident
D) emotional

Question 6

A prosecuting attorney is uncertain whether her eyewitness will seem credible to the jury. The eyewitness's testimony could help win a conviction, but the witness might be discredited by the defence attorney. What advice should the prosecutor accept?

A) Put the witness on the stand, since even a discredited eyewitness is more convincing than no eyewitness at all.
B) Don't put the witness on the stand, since a discredited eyewitness is worse than no eyewitness at all.
C) Put the eyewitness on the stand but admit your reservations about the witness's credibility before the defence attorney raises the issue.
D) Put the witness on the stand only if he or she is attractive and similar to the jurors.

Question 7

Of all criminal cases disposed of in Canadian courts, ________ in four never come to trial.

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four

Question 8

City police find that Mr. Caldwell, an eyewitness to a murder in a local bank, correctly remembers many trivial details of the crime scene, including the specific time on the clock and the paintings on the wall. Research findings suggest that Mr. Caldwell's recall of trivial details means

A) it is more likely that he can also correctly identify the murderer.
B) it is less likely that he can also correctly identify the murderer.
C) nothing in terms of his ability to correctly identify the murderer.
D) it is more likely that he can also correctly identify the murderer, provided Mr. Caldwell is also highly educated.

Question 9

Brent is about to provide eyewitness testimony about a robbery he witnessed. If you were his lawyer, what instruction would you give him to appear most believable to the jury?

A) dress as attractively as possible
B) wear glasses to appear intelligent
C) admit that you don't remember everything
D) appear confident in your identification

Question 10

Mistaken eyewitnesses tend to be less _____________ than accurate witnesses.

A) willing to testify
B) confident
C) persuasive
D) none of the choices are correct

Question 11

A Crown attorney learns that a crucial eyewitness to a grocery store robbery correctly remembers trivial details of the crime scene. If the Crown attorney hopes to convince the jury that the eyewitness is credible, research suggests

A) he should make the jury aware of the witness's ability to remember trivial details.
B) he should deliberately avoid making the jury aware of the witness's ability to remember trivial details.
C) it will make no difference whether the jury knows that the witness can remember trivial details.
D) he should make the jury aware of the witness's ability to remember trivial details only if the jury is composed of all males.

Question 12

Elizabeth Loftus found that eyewitnesses in a hypothetical robbery-murder case were influential

A) unless their testimony was shown to be useless.
B) even when their testimony was discredited.
C) only if other evidence supported their story.
D) only if they were similar to those making judgment.

Question 13

Loftus found that when an eyewitness who had testified against the defendant in a hypothetical robbery-murder case was discredited because of having poor vision

A) about half the jurors switched their votes from guilty to innocent.
B) the majority of jurors still voted for conviction.
C) jurors regarded the eyewitness testimony as useless and it had no impact on their verdict.
D) a boomerang effect occurred with all jurors now voting for acquittal.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about eyewitness testimony is false?

A) Eyewitnesses' certainty about what they have seen is closely related to their accuracy.
B) Confident witnesses are more believable to jurors than those lacking confidence.
C) Incorrect witnesses are virtually as confident as correct witnesses.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 15

Wells, Lindsay, and their colleagues staged the theft of a calculator hundreds of times before eyewitnesses. In attempting to determine whether people could spot erroneous testimony, the researchers had mock jurors observe the eyewitnesses being questioned. Results indicated that the jurors believed correct eyewitnesses' _____ percent of the time and incorrect eyewitnesses' _____ percent of the time.

A) 60; 40
B) 60; 20
C) 80; 62
D) 80; 80

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Eyewitnesses can be highly inaccurate and yet sincerely confident.
B) Confident eyewitnesses are more accurate than uncertain eyewitnesses.
C) Both the gender and race of the eyewitness have been shown to influence their degree of accuracy.
D) Eyewitnesses who pay attention to details are most likely to pay attention to the culprit's face.

Question 17

Although it goes against findings by social psychologists, a panel of judges declared that the level of ________________ by eyewitnesses should be taken into account when determining the accuracy of their testimony.

A) sincerity
B) certainty
C) intelligence
D) detail

Question 18

One eyewitness testifies that the clock on the wall showed it was 2:35 when the robbery was committed. His identification of the suspect differs from another eyewitness, who didn't notice the clock at all. Is one witness likely to give a more accurate identification of the suspect than the other?

A) The witness who noticed the clock will give a more accurate identification.
B) The witness who didn't notice the clock will give a more accurate identification.
C) Both witnesses will be equally accurate.
D) Not enough information is provided to answer this question.

Question 19

The text identifies all of the following questions or topics as pertinent to both social psychology and the law except:

A) How is the judicial function of a government related to its legislative function?
B) Can jurors ignore their prejudices?
C) How influential is eyewitness testimony?
D) How well do jurors comprehend important information (i.e., DNA)?

Question 20

Jurors think that an eyewitness who can recall trivial details such as how many pictures were hanging in the room probably

A) gained information about these details by a second visit to the crime scene and thus is less credible.
B) was paying better attention than one who recalls no details.
C) was not paying attention to the culprit or the crime itself.
D) is no more accurate in recalling important information than witnesses with no memory for details.

Question 21

Ceci believes that young children's susceptibility to the misinformation effect raises the distinct possibility that

A) some people have been falsely accused in sex abuse cases.
B) many educators overestimate the competence of their students.
C) repression leads children to forget that they were physically abused.
D) many children are simply unable to experience empathy for dissimilar others.

Question 22

The "cognitive interview" procedure for questioning eyewitnesses involves which of the following?

A) allowing eyewitnesses to offer their own unprompted recollections
B) guiding eyewitnesses to visualize the scene
C) guiding eyewitnesses to imagine how they were feeling at the time
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 23

Research by Morgan and colleagues on the effect of stress on memory found that ______ of soldiers at survival schools could recall a high-stress interrogator and ______ could recall a low-stress interrogator.

A) 26%; 72%
B) 30%; 62%
C) 74%; 34%
D) 53%; 31%

Question 24

After witnessing an accident between a red car and a green car, Asha is sure the green car's driver was at fault. Why might Asha change her testimony after being visited two days later by the pleasant, attractive lawyer for the green car's driver?

A) She is lying to attract the lawyer's attention.
B) In the two days, she has had time to accurately recall the events.
C) She would like to please the lawyer, and so comes to believe her new testimony.
D) All of the choices.

Question 25

Eyewitness testimony can be distorted or biased by which of the following?

A) suggestive questions
B) an eyewitness' own retelling of events
C) whether they are an eyewitness for the defendant or the plaintiff
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 26

Loftus and her associates' multiple studies of the misinformation effect provide a dramatic demonstration of

A) memory construction.
B) repressed memory.
C) proactive interference.
D) state-dependent memory.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about asking eyewitnesses suggestive questions is true?

A) After suggestive questioning, witnesses may believe that a red light was green or a clean-shaven robber had a moustache.
B) Witnesses are most likely to incorporate misleading information into their memories if they think the questioner is well informed.
C) Young children are more susceptible than adults to leading questions.
D) All of the choices.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Retelling events accurately makes people less resistant to the misinformation effect.
B) Rehearsing answers before taking the witness stand decreases the confidence of those who are wrong.
C) Retelling events commits people to their recollections, accurate or not.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 29

Research on the memories of young children indicates that

A) they are better at remembering verbal than visual details.
B) they tend to fabricate stories about their own victimization even when asked open-ended questions.
C) they are especially susceptible to misinformation.
D) none of the choices are correct.

Question 30

After hearing a television report falsely indicating that drugs may have contributed to a recent auto accident, several eyewitnesses of the accident began to remember the driver as traveling at a faster rate of speed than was actually the case. This provides an example of

A) flashbulb memory.
B) state-dependent memory.
C) the serial position effect.
D) the misinformation effect.

Question 31

Wells, Ferguson, and Lindsay had eyewitnesses to a staged theft rehearse their answers to questions before taking the witness stand. Doing so

A) increased the accuracy of the eyewitness testimony.
B) decreased the confidence of those who were correct.
C) increased the confidence of those who were wrong.
D) increased the confidence of those who were correct and decreased the confidence of those who were wrong.

Question 32

After Ceci and Bruck produced false memories in a group of preschool children, the children were interviewed by a professional psychologist. Following the interview,

A) children realized that their memories were false.
B) children were less anxiety-prone than before the interview.
C) the psychologist could not reliably separate real from false memories.
D) the psychologist could reliably identify the false memories.

Question 33

The tendency for witnesses to incorporate misleading information into their memories is especially strong when

A) suggestive questions are repeated.
B) the questioner is female rather than male.
C) the event was a traffic incident rather than a violent crime.
D) the witness is low in need for cognition.

Question 34

Rob was part of a psychology experiment where he was asked to repeatedly recall a childhood event that never happened to him (i.e., breaking his leg on the playground). By the end of the experiment, he remembered details of this event. Some researchers have called this process

A) the misinformation effect.
B) confidence malleability.
C) memory repression.
D) imagination inflation.

Question 35

Inspector Delaney interrupts a witness she is interviewing to ask, "What time did you first notice the suspect?" According to researcher Ronald Fisher, what problem might Inspector Delaney encounter with her witness?

A) The witness will become more unsure of his testimony if he is asked questions.
B) The witness will become agitated if he is interrupted.
C) The witness will give less complete testimony if he is interrupted.
D) All of the choices.

Question 36

Research indicates that having eyewitnesses rehearse their answers to questions before taking the witness stand

A) raises uncertainty in the minds of eyewitnesses as to what they actually saw.
B) increases their confidence about what they saw.
C) increases their confidence but also heightens their anxiety about appearing in court.
D) invariably leads them to give a much more detailed and accurate account of what they saw.

Question 37

In research by Loftus and colleagues, students were shown slides depicting successive stages of an automobile-pedestrian accident. Results showed that

A) most witnesses did not notice the difference between a stop sign and a yield sign.
B) eyewitnesses were unable to determine whether the driver or the pedestrian had been at fault.
C) when the information was presented slowly, eyewitnesses' accuracy of recall became nearly flawless.
D) asking misleading questions caused distortion of eyewitnesses' memories.

Question 38

In the process known as the misinformation effect, individuals

A) give misleading testimony in court.
B) receive incorrect information about an event and then incorporate that information into their memory for the event.
C) provide incorrect information to police.
D) fail to remember any information following a traumatic event.

Question 39

Sheppard and Vidmar had some students serve as witnesses to a fight, while others took the roles of lawyers and judges. When they had been interviewed by the defence lawyer, the witnesses

A) gave testimony condemning the defendant as guilty.
B) gained self-confidence and claimed to remember more details.
C) gave testimony that was favourable to the defendant.
D) were less susceptible to the misinformation effect.

Question 40

The process of witnessing an event, receiving misleading information about it, and then incorporating the misleading information into one's memory of the event is referred to as the ____________ effect.

A) false memory
B) misinformation
C) inoculation
D) interference

Question 41

You're innocent! But you've been falsely accused of a crime because of inaccurate eyewitness testimony. What should you hope for during your jury trial?

A) That the eyewitness seems hesitant while testifying against you.
B) That your lawyer asks the police about their line-up identification procedures.
C) That your lawyer closely questions the eyewitness about any discussions she may have had about the events in question.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 42

Which of the following is the most agreed upon phenomenon by experts on eyewitness testimony?

A) Attitudes and expectations may not influence eyewitness memory.
B) Eyewitness confidence is a reasonable, but not perfect, predictor of identification accuracy.
C) Information obtained after the event will have minimal effects on memory.
D) Question wording will likely affect eyewitness testimony about an event.

Question 43

Under which of the following conditions would you be most likely to avoid making a false identification of a police suspect in a line-up?

A) If you had previously made a false identification.
B) If you had previously made a positive identification.
C) If you were told that the suspect may not be in the line-up.
D) If you were told that the suspect was definitely in the line-up.

Question 44

Which of the following is the best strategy for weeding out eyewitnesses who are just guessing?

A) compose a line-up of several people known to be innocent, including just one suspect
B) compose a line-up of several suspects and dress them all alike
C) compose a line-up of several suspects who look very different from one another
D) none of the choices

Question 45

Kalven and Zeisel found that ______ in 10 reached juries reached the verdict favoured by the majority on the first ballot.

A) 5
B) 6
C) 8
D) 9

Question 46

What is meant by the "two-thirds-majority" scheme?

A) Two-thirds of all people asked refuse to serve on a jury.
B) Two out of three times judges agree with the jury's decision.
C) A two-thirds majority is a better rule than consensus for a jury to follow in reaching a verdict.
D) The jury verdict is usually the alternative favoured by at least two-thirds of the jurors at the outset.

Question 47

One recommendation toward improving jurors' ability to understand judicial instructions and statistical information (or any complex information) is to

A) remind them that they must remember the appropriate evidence to use in deliberations.
B) give them access to transcripts of the information.
C) instruct them to pay attention to all the information regardless of its relevance.
D) not provide them with any instructions that may interfere with their cognitive processing.

Question 48

When Fisher and his colleagues trained detectives to use the "cognitive interview" procedure for questioning eyewitnesses,

A) accuracy and confidence of eyewitnesses increased.
B) the amount of information elicited from eyewitnesses increased 50%.
C) false memory rate increased 50%.
D) false memory rate increased slightly, but confidence increased dramatically.

Question 49

Research by Bray and Noble show that groups of ______ authoritarians initially recommended strong punishments (56 years) and after deliberation were even more punitive (68 years). The ______ authoritarian groups were initially more lenient (38 years) and after deliberation became more so (29 years).

A) high; low
B) low; high
C) high; high
D) low; low

Question 50

Whose eyewitness testimony is probably the most reliable?

A) Millie's report given immediately after a grocery store robbery. She was simply asked to tell the police what she saw.
B) Fred's report given in court about a bank robbery a month ago. He has been interviewed several times by the defence attorney before appearing in court.
C) Sue's report given immediately after observing an attempted rape. She was asked very specific questions by the police, who had identified a suspect immediately after the assault.
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 51

Research indicates that jurors are more likely to be persuaded when attorneys present evidence

A) in the order of a narrative story.
B) in the form of testing a hypothesis in an experiment.
C) by numerically listing their specific arguments.
D) without interpretation or drawing conclusions from it.

Question 52

Which of the following is not one recommended strategy for increasing the accuracy of eyewitnesses and jurors?

A) Train police interviewers to elicit unbiased accounts.
B) Educate jurors about the limitations of eyewitness testimony.
C) Ask witnesses to scan a lineup of several suspects or mug shots simultaneously rather than one at a time.
D) Have police acknowledge that the offender may not even be in the line-up.

Question 53

Researchers have found that eyewitnesses' accuracy can improve when

A) interrogators delay the interview at least one week.
B) the witnesses scan a group of mug shots or a composite drawing before reviewing a line-up.
C) they are presented with a sequence of individual people, one by one, instead of being presented with a group of photos or a line-up.
D) the seriousness of the crime is highlighted.

Question 54

Landon is a juror in a murder trial and is listening to the Crown and defence attorneys present their cases. The Crown lays out the evidence step by step from the background of the event to the end, fitting it all into place in terms of when it happened. On the other hand, the defence lawyer presents evidence as witnesses are called. All else being equal, which side would Landon be most convinced by?

A) The Crown
B) The Defence
C) Both will be equally convincing
D) Neither side will be more convincing than the other

Question 55

Which of the following is not one of the explanations experts offer to educate jurors to evaluate eyewitness testimony better?

A) Eyewitnesses often perceive events selectively.
B) Research using staged crimes shows that witnesses often choose the wrong person in a line-up.
C) The most confident eyewitness usually turns out to be the most accurate.
D) Eyewitnesses are especially prone to error when trying to identify someone of another race.

Question 56

What are the chances that jurors will initially not agree on a verdict?

A) about 1 in 4
B) about 1 in 3
C) about 2 in 3
D) about 3 in 4

Question 57

A typical research finding on jury decision making and statistical evidence is that

A) male jurors pay more attention to statistical evidence than female jurors.
B) juries do not pay enough attention to statistical evidence.
C) juries overrate the importance of statistical evidence.
D) statistical evidence is more compelling to jurors than narrative evidence.

Question 58

A police interrogator questioning a robbery eyewitness hopes to learn whether the assailant was wearing a bright green hat similar to one seen in another robbery. According to research, which of the following questions will elicit the most detailed, undistorted recall from the eyewitness?

A) "Did you see whether the robber was wearing a hat?"
B) "Can you describe the hat the robber was wearing?"
C) "What colour was the robber's hat?"
D) "How was the robber dressed?"

Question 59

Despite initial disagreements over a verdict, after discussion, _______ of juries emerge with a consensus.

A) 65
B) 70
C) 80
D) 95

Question 60

Preston is a lawyer whose case relies on proof from dense scientific and statistical material. If he wants to present this information to the jury, Preston should

A) present the scientific information without mention of statistical probabilities.
B) present only the statistical information in as basic and simple way as possible.
C) present all the information in a matter-of-fact manner including all the statistics.
D) present the information, point out probabilities, and support these by a convincing story.

Question 61

Which of the following is considered a distinguishing feature of a suspect?

A) a tie
B) a tattoo
C) an eye patch
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 62

From the text, which of the following is a true statement regarding social psychology and the courtroom?

A) Most of the government research funds available to social psychologists have been designated for the study of courtroom procedures.
B) The courtroom is a miniature social world where people think about and influence each other.
C) The study of criminal cases can provide important new insight into the causes of aggression and conflict.
D) Social psychology had its roots in the study of the courtroom.

Question 63

According to the text, we are most at risk for false recollections made with high confidence with faces of another race.

Question 64

In order to close the gap between real courtroom processes and laboratory studies, researchers are using ___________ as participants and having them view ____________.

A) university students; videotapes of courtroom trials
B) real jurors; dramas based on real-life cases
C) members of real jury pools; enactments of actual trials
D) real jurors; ongoing courtroom trials

Question 65

Hastie, Penrod, and Pennington showed participants re-enactments of an actual murder case, and asked them to deliberate until they agreed on a verdict. Prior to group deliberation, jurors who thought the defendant was guilty preferred a verdict of _______________; after deliberation, they preferred a verdict of _________________.

A) second-degree murder; manslaughter
B) manslaughter; second-degree murder
C) first-degree murder; second-degree murder
D) manslaughter; not guilty

Question 66

According to researcher Vicki Bruce, people construct memories based partly on what they perceived at the time and partly on which of the following?

A) their expectations
B) their beliefs
C) their current knowledge
D) all of the choices are correct

Question 67

Mark, who had been in prison for ten years, was released because DNA evidence cleared his name. Mark later stated that he only confessed to the crime because he was worn down and sleep deprived. This is an example of which of the following?

A) internalized confession
B) compliant confession
C) all of the choices are correct
D) none of the choices are correct

Question 68

In one experiment, visitors wore heart rate monitors while in the London Dungeon's Horror Labyrinth. Those exhibiting the _____ emotion later made the _____ mistakes in identifying someone they had encountered.

A) least; least
B) least; most
C) most; most
D) most; least

Question 69

"If you will just tell us you accidently rather than deliberately set the fire, you can go home." This strategy, to wear someone down, may lead someone to make an internalized confession.

Question 70

Which of the following people will be seen as more dangerous following their guilty conviction?

A) Ryan, an attractive twenty-five year old
B) Leslie, an average-looking forty year old
C) Dan, an unattractive thirty-seven year old
D) None of the choices are correct

Question 71

In ____ percent of DNA exoneration cases that included eyewitness testimony, the eyewitnesses initially were uncertain.

A) 26
B) 57
C) 68
D) 89

Question 72

After hearing evidence in a murder trial, 12 jurors tend to believe the evidence is insufficient to convict the 25-year-old defendant. According to the group polarization hypothesis, after the jurors deliberate,

A) they will be more convinced the defendant is guilty.
B) they will be more convinced the evidence is insufficient to convict.
C) they will be evenly split, with some convinced he is guilty and others convinced he is innocent.
D) they will be split, with a minority favouring acquittal and the majority favouring conviction.

Question 73

Research suggests that jury deliberations can be influenced by all of the following processes except

A) group polarization.
B) minority influence.
C) deindividuation.
D) informational influence.

Question 74

Research suggests that minorities are most likely to sway the majority

A) when the minority favours conviction.
B) when the minority favours acquittal.
C) when the minority is composed of women.
D) when the minority is composed of Whites.

Question 75

After discussion, about ___ of juries emerge with a consensus.

A) 30%
B) 65%
C) 86%
D) 95%

Question 76

Research suggests that jurors in the minority will be most persuasive when they

A) are consistent.
B) are self-confident.
C) win defections from the majority.
D) all of the choices are correct.

Question 77

Ricardo and Halle are the only jurors who strongly favour acquittal, while Soren and Eva are the only jurors who strongly favour conviction when the jury takes its first vote. What eventual outcome might you most expect from this jury?

A) The jury will vote to convict.
B) The jury will vote to acquit.
C) The jury will be 'hung' (undecided)
D) The jury will ask the judge for further instructions.

Question 78

Which of the following is not part of the literature discussed in the text on social psychology and the courtroom?

A) how the defendant's characteristics can influence jurors' judgments
B) how the jurors' own characteristics can influence their judgments
C) how the initial juror opinions influence their judgments
D) how the judge's instructions influence jurors' judgments

Question 79

Rich is the only person on the jury who firmly believes the defendant is innocent. What is Rich's best strategy for changing the other jurors' minds?

A) Rich should not even try; the majority always wins in jury deliberations.
B) Rich should repeat his views without wavering or appearing hesitant.
C) Rich should repeat the statistical evidence that was presented at trial.
D) Rich should tell the other jurors that his belief is based on a 'certain feeling' he has.

Question 80

Research by Michael Efran has shown that students judge __________ people as _____ guilty.

A) attractive; more
B) attractive; less
C) unattractive; more
D) unattractive; less