Psychology 2032A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Eyewitness Testimony, Eyewitness Memory, Elizabeth Loftus

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 2032A/B
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Lecture 2 - harder than it looks on tv: history & challenges of forensic psych. The misinformation effect: where wording of a question can create misinformation & can manipulate + alter our memory. This was only a couple of minutes after; memory would have altered if the questions were asked hours or even days after. Elizabeth loftus is a key cognitive psychologist that showed memory and factors that can distort it. She looked at the misinformation effect and its impact on eyewitness memory and testimony. She would change one word in the question; would lead to a considerable change in descriptions/responses. Her work has changed how police handle eyewitnesses, line-ups, how the court utilizes eyewitness testimony & how eyewitness testimony can be changed. Her findings have changed a lot within the field of crime + corrections her work is based upon the 3 key studies listed below. Catell (1895) = the accuracy of everyday observations.