The Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony Essay example

Eyewitness testimony is defined as, â€Å"an area of research that investigates the accuracy of memory following an accident, crime, or other significant event, and the types of errors that are commonly made in such situations.† Much emphasis is placed on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony as often-inaccurate eyewitness testimony can have serious consequences leading to wrong convictions. Eyewitness testimony is a powerful tool within any field, particularly that of justice, as it is a readily accepted form of evidence that allows for convictions. However, Tests conducted by Loftus have shown an enormous swing from a non-guilty verdict, to guilty within the same case, simply through the introduction†¦show more content†¦Huff recently estimated that about 7,500 people arrested for serious crime in the United States were wrongly convicted in 1999. He further noted that the rate is thought to be much lower in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others, e specially those that have established procedures for reviewing cases involving the potential of wrongful conviction. Ronald Cotton was convicted in 1986 of raping a 22 year old college student, on the basis of her testimony, Cotton was sentenced to prison for life. DNA testing, 11 years later proved Cotton as innocent. Another man, Bobby Poole, pleaded guilty to the crime. (Ref: Egeth, H. E. What do we not know about eyewitness identification?) This case shows, as I mentioned earlier, how much jurors rely on eyewitness testimony, yet it perhaps is the most unreliable source of evidence in the first place. A key reason for memory distortion is that witnesses pick up information from other sources, a combination of memory from different experiences. Much research shows that memory more closely resembles a synthesis of experiences. Bartlett (1932) carried out research on reconstructive memory. He claimed that in order to make sense of an event we go through a process called â€Å" effort after meaning.† Instead of storing an exact replica of the event, we combine it withShow MoreRelatedAccuracy of Eyewitness Testimony1815 Words   |  7 Pages(The Justice Project).† Eyewitness testimony is highly relied on by judges, but it can not always be trusted. Approximately 48% of wrong convictions are because of mistaken identity by eyewitnesses (The Psychology of Eyewitness Testimony). After we discovered this information, we became curious as to whether in a testimony, the eyewitness’ memory is more reliable after a short period of time or after a longer period of time? According to previous experiments, eyewitness testimony is unreliable. LikelyRead MoreAccuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony1231 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Eyewitness testimony has been used as an important tool in the criminal justice system. When there is lack of other kinds of evidence, police often rely on eyewitness to find potential suspects. In court, eyewitness testimony is a kind of important evidence associates with DNA or other types of evidence. However, many psychologists think that it should not be used in the criminal justice system as most of the wrongful convictions were caused by inaccurate eyewitness testimony. AlthoughRead MoreAccuracy of an Eyewitness Testimony Essay2096 Words   |  9 PagesThe Accuracy of an Eyewitness Testimony Student: Amy Mason Number: 2842657 Tutor: Serena Nicholls Tutorial Time: Thursday 10am - 10:50am Due date: Friday 21st September 21, 2012 Word count: 1858 Psychological research shows that eyewitness testimony is not always accurate, therefore it should not be used in the criminal justice system. Discuss. The reliability if an eyewitness testimony is questionable. The witness may be so certain that the person that thy are pointing out is one hundredRead MoreTesting The Accuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony3401 Words   |  14 PagesThe concepts that are covered in the experiment: â€Å"Testing the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony† are how the memory part of your brain works. Also, the colors that help memorization is also included in this experiment.Another thing that is covered in this experiment is whether or not someone is able to regurgitate information back after 20 minutes. Another thing that is covered in this experiment is the types of memory disorders. Tips on how to keep a healthy memory are also included. Also, the stepsRead MoreThe Effects Of Language On The Accuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony1436 Words   |  6 PagesOverview The study was conducted to show how altering certain words can influence to the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. The study consisted of two experiments. The first was done on 45 participants who were split into groups of varying sizes and they were shown seven films. In the first study, the independent variable was the verb used in the critical question. These were either, hit , bumped , smashed , contacted and collided . And the dependent variable was the speed estimationRead MoreEyewitness Testimony Essay1166 Words   |  5 Pages The Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony is a major topic in our society. Eyewitness Testimony is often used during crime scene investigations. Although a Testimony by a bystander or a victim regarding an incident is a great tool for further investigation, testimonies are often times false and can lead to false accusations. The research question, how accurate is eyewitness testimony, will be studied. The purpose for this project is to determine t he accuracy of eyewitness testimony. The hypothesisRead MoreEyewitness Testimony And Its Impact On The Outcome Of A Trial892 Words   |  4 PagesHow Accurate Are Eyewitness Testimonies? Have you ever been a witness to a crime? Would you feel comfortable if prosecutors relied on your eye witness testimony alone for a conviction? According to â€Å"The Magic of the Mind†, eyewitness testimony which relies on the accuracy of human memory, has an enormous impact on the outcome of a trial. Eyewitness testimony is a legal term. During an eyewitness testimony, the witness usually goes into an account of the crime he or she has witnessed. This can includeRead MoreReliability of the Human Memory1339 Words   |  5 PagesReliability of the human memory in eyewitness memory In this essay it will be argued how the human memory for recalling details of past events is not reliably accurate and that it will be interpreted through the reliability of memory in eyewitness memory and testimony. The human memory is a complex finding in the cognitive research of psychology, which can be explained by many different contributing factors but eyewitness is dependent upon the accuracy of long-term memory. However, research evidenceRead MoreEyewitness Testimony And The American Psychological Association1580 Words   |  7 Pagesmodern law and judicial practices, eyewitness testimony has been a crucial part in reaching verdicts in court. The opinions and observations of bystanders or active participants in a crime scene are often considered to be very valuable in determining the guilt or innocence of accused individuals. However, there has been a large amount of scrutiny in the law world concerning both misappropriated and untrue testimonies administered in courts of law. Although the testimony of individuals can simply be misinterpretedRead MoreHow Does The Brain Malfunctions Affect The Justice System?1246 Words   |  5 Pageswrongfully convicted individuals by the eyewitness wh ich is a huge issue in the system (Weir, 2016). It is crucial to be knowledgeable of the factors that can impede memory. The person that actually committed the crime should be held responsible for their actions, not only for justice, but for the safety of others as well. There are many factors to consider when psychologists and scientists are trying to figure out reliability of eyewitness testimony. The ability to recall or recognize is