2.1.16

Eyewitness Testimony - Post-Event Discussion

Test yourself on Eyewitness Testimony - Post-Event Discussion

Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Gabbert et al (2004) - Staged Crime

Research aim: To investigate the effect of post-event information on accuracy of recall.

Participants

Participants

  • Laboratory experiment.
  • 60 students from the University of Aberdeen and 60 local older adults were the participants.
Procedure

Procedure

  • Participants were allocated to one of two groups.
    • The control group individually watched a video of a girl stealing a wallet.
    • The experimental group (co-witness group) were put into pairs and watched the video individually. They were told it was the same video, but one half of the pair saw the scene from a different perspective and did not actually see the girl steal the wallet.
  • The co-witness group were then allowed to discuss what they had seen.
  • All participants then completed a questionnaire to test their memory of the event.
Results & conclusions

Results & conclusions

  • Results:
    • 71% of the co-witnesses reported remembering information that they had not actually seen.
    • 60% said she was guilty despite not seeing her commit the crime.
  • Conclusion: Participants in the co-witness group were influenced by the post event information given to them by their partner.
Evaluation

Evaluation

  • Strengths
    • Reliable – easy to replicate.
    • Practical applications – demonstrates unreliability of eyewitness testimony.
  • Limitations
    • Lacks ecological validity – the participants were aware it was not a real crime.
    • Demand characteristics.
    • Social desirability.
Jump to other topics
1

Social Influence

2

Memory

3

Attachment

4

(2026 Exams) Psychopathology

5

(2027 Exams) Clinical Psychology & Mental Health

6

Approaches in Psychology

7

Biopsychology

8

Research Methods

8.1

Research Methods

8.2

Scientific Processes

8.3

Data Handling & Analysis

8.4

Inferential Testing

9

Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

10

Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10.1

Relationships: Sexual Relationships (A2 only)

10.2

Relationships: Romantic Relationships (A2 only)

10.3

(2026 Exams) Relationships: Virtual (A2 only)

10.4

(2027 Exams) Relationships: Online (A2 only)

11

Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

12

Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

13

Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

14

Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

15

Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

16

Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

17

Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

18

Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

Practice questions on Eyewitness Testimony - Post-Event Discussion

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
  2. 2
Answer all questions on Eyewitness Testimony - Post-Event Discussion

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium