CRJ 3102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Eyewitness Testimony, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Forensic Psychology

• School: St. John's University
• Department: CRJ - CRIMINAL JUSTICE
• Course: CRJ 3102
• Professor: H.Schlossberg

Document Summary

A person never know who or what they are like because we all have defense mechanisms. We are built and modified by our life experiences and our defenses. What you, as a forensic psychologist, will have to identify to see if the witness is reliable: Stress: very high levels of stress impair the accuracy of eyewitness testimony: a victim is stressed out, focuses on the weapon rather than the perp. Weapon focus: the presence of a weapon impairs an eyewitness"s ability to accurately identify the perpetrator"s face. Show-ups: the use of a one-person show up instead of a full lineup increases the risk of misidentification. Lineup fairness: the more members of a lineup resemble the suspect, the higher is the likelihood that identification of the suspect is accurate. Lineup instructions: police instructions can affect an eyewitness"s willingness to make an identification.