Question 1

What would be the outcome of altered eyewitnesses' reports of crime details?

Accepted Answer

Eyewitness reports can be altered due to the reconstructive nature of memory, where memories can be influenced by new information, leading to inaccuracies or changes in the recollection of events.

Question 2

Leonard Berkowitz and Anthony LePage (1967) explored the impact of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Leonard Berkowitz and Anthony LePage (1967) are known for their research on the "weapons effect," which suggests that the mere presence of a weapon can increase aggression in individuals.

Question 3

The effect where people of one race are unable to recognize faces and facial expressions of people of another race is called

Accepted Answer

The cross-race identification bias refers to the difficulty people have in recognizing faces and facial expressions of individuals from a race different from their own.

Question 4

Stark and others (2010) showed participants slides of a man stealing a woman's wallet and slipping it in his jacket. Then an auditory recording recounted the event, stating that the wallet had been slipped into his pants. The results showed that

Accepted Answer

False memories in this context are more likely to involve the auditory cortex because the misinformation (the wallet being slipped into his pants) was presented through an auditory recording, leading participants to potentially misremember the event based on what they heard rather than what they originally saw.

Question 5

According to Rhodes and Anastasi (2012), children, young adults, and the elderly all had difficulty recognizing others who were part of a different ____ than their own.

Accepted Answer

Rhodes and Anastasi (2012) found that individuals have difficulty recognizing faces of people from different age groups than their own, a phenomenon known as the "own-age bias."

Question 6

The factor affecting the reliability of eyewitness testimony is called

Accepted Answer

The weapon-focus effect refers to the phenomenon where the presence of a weapon in a crime scene draws the eyewitness's attention and impairs their ability to remember other details of the scene, thus affecting the reliability of their testimony.

Question 7

Tony, Silvio, Paulie, and Christopher were all in the convenience store when it was robbed. Who will be the most reliable eyewitness?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Tony, Silvio, Paulie, and Christopher were all...

Question 8

Prida has witnessed a violent crime involving a knife. Research suggests that he will be less likely to identify the culprit than in a situation where no knife was present because Prida will

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that witnesses tend to focus on a weapon present during a crime, a phenomenon known as "weapon focus effect," leading to reduced ability to remember other details such as the perpetrator's appearance.

Question 9

Waleska is a social psychologist who studies legal systems. Which of the following objectives would she be least likely to pursue in her research?

Accepted Answer

Waleska, as a social psychologist focusing on legal systems, would primarily be interested in the interactions and behaviors within legal contexts (e.g., police, jurors, judges). Identifying psychological disorders leading to criminal behavior falls more under forensic or clinical psychology, which focuses on the individual's mental health and behavior rather than the social and systemic aspects of legal systems.

Question 10

After Natalie testifies in court that she witnessed the defendant committing an armed robbery, a memory expert is called to testify on Natalie's ability to encode the information which was probably impaired. Which of the following factors did the expert most likely have in mind when he questioned Natalie's ability to acquire the information accurately?

Accepted Answer

The weapon-focus effect refers to a phenomenon where a witness's attention is drawn to a weapon during a crime, impairing their ability to remember other details of the event accurately. This is likely the factor the expert considered when questioning Natalie's ability to accurately encode the information during the armed robbery she witnessed.

Question 11

Emily has just witnessed a violent crime. In this agitated state, Emily is most likely to focus on the

Accepted Answer

Research in psychology, particularly on eyewitness memory and the phenomenon known as the "weapon focus effect," suggests that witnesses of violent crimes are more likely to focus on a weapon if one is present. This is because the presence of a weapon increases arousal and draws attention, potentially at the expense of other details like the culprit's face or the setting.

Question 12

Which of the following techniques can be used to study eyewitness testimony?

Accepted Answer

All of the techniques mentioned can be used to study eyewitness testimony. Single case and field studies can provide in-depth analysis of individual or real-world events, archival studies can examine existing records and data, and slide presentations can simulate events for participants in a controlled environment.

Question 13

____% of police officers reported that they routinely encounter witnesses who are drunk or under the influence of drugs when committing a crime or being interviewed by the police.

Accepted Answer

75% of police officers reported routinely encountering witnesses who are drunk or under the influence of drugs when committing a crime or being interviewed, highlighting the challenges in obtaining reliable witness testimony.

Question 14

_______ is the phenomenon of witnesses' interpretations of events wavering according to their past experiences and expectations.

Accepted Answer

Attributional bias refers to the systematic errors made when people evaluate or try to find reasons for their own and others' behaviors. People's perceptions, judgments, and interpretations of social information are often skewed by their past experiences and expectations, leading to this phenomenon. Sampling bias and the types of amnesia mentioned do not relate to the influence of past experiences and expectations on interpretations of events.

Question 15

Which of the following has not been shown to bias a child's memory report?

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that repeating questions, introducing misinformation, and asking leading questions can all bias a child's memory report. However, questioning in a group setting has not been specifically shown to bias a child's memory report in the same way.

Question 16

Which of the following is not an event characteristic?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not an...

Question 17

The most common cause of mistaken convictions to be seen in DNA exoneration cases is

Accepted Answer

Inaccurate eyewitness identification is the most common cause of wrongful convictions in cases later overturned by DNA evidence. Eyewitness misidentification can occur due to various factors, including the stress of witnessing a crime, the suggestive procedures used by law enforcement, and the inherent unreliability of human memory.

Question 18

When Valentine and Mesout (2009) fitted visitors to the London Dungeon with a wireless heart monitor, they found that

Accepted Answer

Higher anxiety levels were associated with less accurate eyewitness identification.

Question 19

Loftus and Palmer (1974) manipulated the wording of questions posed to participants who witness a filmed traffic accident. Their findings suggest that

Accepted Answer

Loftus and Palmer's study demonstrated that the way questions were worded could influence participants' memories of the accident, showing that memory can be manipulated by suggestion.

Question 20

Which of the following is the most controversial statement that has been debated among researchers who study reconstructive memory?

Accepted Answer

The most controversial statement among researchers regarding reconstructive memory is the debate over whether post-event details actually alter a witness's real memory or only affect the reporting of the memory. This controversy centers on the fundamental nature of memory alteration versus mere reporting bias, making it a core issue in the study of reconstructive memory.

Quiz 12: Law