Lawyers for a convicted thief want the court to overthrow his past conviction based on the prosecutor's questioning of witnesses. In one instance, the prosecutor referred to the defendant as the 'thief' when questioning an elderly witness. What kind of memory bias is involved in this case?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The misinformation effect is a memory bias that results from misinformation that is given to a person.
Key Takeaway: The misinformation effect can lead to a person not remembering information correctly or completely. In the case of the convicted thief, given the witness a suggestive term is likely to bias the recall of information. For the elderly lady, referring to a suspect as a thief may lead her to inaccurately remember him as the person who committed the crime when she would not have done so otherwise.

Lawyers for a Convicted Thief Want the Court to Overthrow