Reference no: EM13789554

EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY AND MISINFORMATION EFFECT

Premature experiments of the results of preeminent questions disclosed a number of ways an eyewitness testimony can possibly be altered and how the misinformation effect can modify their statements. This Loftus experiment is where people are shown a series of films about a car accident and given different information to attempt their success in changing their testimony. The "misinformation effect" documented by Loftus is one of the best-known and most influential findings in psychology (Loftus, Miller, & Burns, 1978).

What was the speed the vehicles were going when they wrecked into each other? The individuals that viewed the films of the accidents were asked a series of questions, which provoked excessive guesses at the speed the car was going, untrue claims of witnessing broken glass, or if the other car was hit or bumped rather than being crushed (Loftus & Palmer, 1974). Later studies indicated that misleading questions caused numerous amounts of alterations in the reports of the eyewitnesses. For instance, Loftus (1977) had people watch the film of the accident including a green vehicle then later revealed misleading questions that the car was blue hypothetically. These people were subsequently asked to choose the color of the car they witnessed; they shifted the color reaction in the modification of the misinformation effect by choosing a blue-green color, an inclination that wasn't recognized in research competitors. As a result, numerous deluded competitors stated a color that was a mixture of the before and after accident evidence (Belli, 1988). Competitors could have been persuaded to disclose all of the information wasn't submitted in the initial event. Competitors were asked, "How fast was the white sports car going when it passed the barn while travelling along the country road?" In all reality, there was never a barn. Research competitors, that weren't given the wrong information, claimed they seen a barn (Loftus, 1975).

Eyewitness testimonies reveal they aren't invariably true. Eyewitness testimonies also reveal that things people visualize and perceive regarding an event can simply influence the precision of their impression of an occurrence. Whilst there is argument in how the misinformation effect takes place, it does take place. The misinformation effect may be utilized to clarify several retrieved memories. The misinformation effect elevates important disputes regarding the dependability of the eyewitness testimony.

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