Question 1

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

Retelling events commits people to their recollections, accurate or not. The other two options are not supported by research. Retelling events accurately does not necessarily make people less resistant to the misinformation effect and rehearsing answers can actually increase the confidence of those who are wrong.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is D because the research by Loftus and colleagues showed that asking misleading questions caused distortion of eyewitnesses' memories. Factors such as the wording of the questions asked, prior beliefs, and expectations can all influence the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Rehearsing answers to questions can increase the confidence of eyewitnesses, regardless of whether their answers are correct or not. This is known as the confidence-accuracy gap, where individuals may feel confident in their memories but may not necessarily be accurate.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

All of the statements are true. Suggestive questioning can alter eyewitness testimony and cause witnesses to incorporate false information into their memories. The effectiveness of suggestive questioning is influenced by factors such as the perceived authority of the questioner and the age of the witness. Young children are particularly vulnerable to leading questions.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

Ceci is suggesting that the misinformation effect can lead to false accusations in cases of sex abuse, indicating a possibility that some people have been falsely accused.

Question 6

In the process known as the misinformation effect, individuals

Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect occurs when individuals are given incorrect information about an event and then incorporate that information into their memory for the event, leading to a distortion of their memory. This can occur in many different contexts, including eyewitness testimony in court.

Question 7

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.

Accepted Answer

Morgan and colleagues found that 30% of soldiers at survival schools could recall a high-stress interrogator and 62% could recall a low-stress interrogator, as reported in their 1978 study "Influence of stress on human memory." Option A is incorrect because the percentages are flipped. Option C is incorrect because the percentages add up to more than 100%. Option D is incorrect because the numbers do not match the study's findings.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Rehearsing their answers can increase eyewitnesses' confidence about what they saw, which can be beneficial for their testimony. However, it does not necessarily lead to a more detailed or accurate account. This is because rehearsal can also lead to the introduction of false information or confusion about what was actually observed. There may also be some anxiety about appearing in court, but this is not a universal result of rehearsal.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

When suggestive questions are repeated, witnesses are more likely to incorporate misleading information into their memories. This is known as the misinformation effect.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sheppard and Vidmar had some students serve...

Question 11

Stan was initially uncertain about the man he identified as the burglar in a police line-up. His confidence increased, however, after

Accepted Answer

Being asked the same question repeatedly is a form of confirmatory bias, which can increase one's confidence in a particular memory or perception, even if it is incorrect. This is known as the "repeated questioning effect." A and C are not necessarily relevant factors in increasing one's confidence in a police line-up identification.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Loftus and her associates' multiple studies provide a dramatic demonstration of memory construction. They have shown that the misinformation effect can distort and alter an individual's memory of an event based on new information or suggestions that are presented after the fact. This highlights the idea that memory is not a fixed and accurate representation of past events but is rather a malleable and reconstructive process.

Question 13

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.

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is referred to as the misinformation effect, which involves incorporating misleading information into one's memory of an event. Choice A (false memory) is related, but specifically refers to the creation of a memory for an event that did not actually occur. Choice C (inoculation) refers to the process of building up resistance to persuasion by being exposed to weakened versions of a persuasive argument. Choice D (interference) refers to the phenomenon where the retrieval of one memory interferes with the retrieval of another memory.

Question 14

Research on the memories of young children indicates that

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that young children are particularly susceptible to misinformation, especially when it comes from a trusted adult or authority figure. This can lead to false memories or distortions of actual events. However, there is no evidence to suggest that they are better at remembering verbal than visual details or that they tend to fabricate stories about their own victimization.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

This process is called imagination inflation, where a false memory is formed due to repeated imagining or suggestion of an event that did not actually happen. The other choices are not accurate descriptions of this phenomenon. The misinformation effect refers to when new information alters a person's memory of an event. Confidence malleability refers to changes in a person's confidence in their memory due to suggestion or feedback. Memory repression refers to the unconscious blocking of traumatic memories.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

All of these choices can distort or bias eyewitness testimony. Suggestive questions can lead witnesses to remember or recount events incorrectly. The eyewitness's own retelling of events can be influenced by their prior beliefs, expectations, and biases. The side for whom the eyewitness is testifying can also impact their testimony, as they may be more likely to remember events in a way that supports their team.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

The false television report led to the eyewitnesses' memories being altered, which is an example of the misinformation effect. This effect occurs when information presented after an event affects how people remember the event.

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of After Ceci and Bruck produced false memories...

Question 19

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?

Accepted Answer

Asha may want to please the lawyer, and so may change her testimony accordingly. There is no evidence given in the scenario to suggest that she is lying to attract attention or that her memory has become more accurate in the two days since the accident.

Question 20

An eyewitness gains confidence from which of the following sources?

Accepted Answer

An eyewitness can gain confidence from all the listed sources: knowing another person identified the same suspect, being asked the same question repeatedly, and preparing for cross-examination.

Quiz 15: Social Psychology in Court