Cross-Examination on the Accuracy of Adult Eyewitness Essay

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 682 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

Page 1 of 2

cross-examination on the accuracy of adult eyewitness testimony" by Tim Valentine and Katie Maras

"The effects of mood on the accuracy of eyewitness memory: affective influences on susceptibility to misinformation" by Joseph P. Forgas, Simon M. Laham and Patrick T. Vargas

The current assignment looks at two separate articles, written by different authors and six years apart, each dealing with the quality and reliability of eyewitness testimonies. The first article assesses this topic from the standpoint of cross-examination, whereas the second, based on the mood of the witness. The table below summarizes the viewpoints of the two articles.

Forgas, Laham and Vargas (2005)

Valentine and Maras (2011)

Purpose of study

Investigate the impact of mood changes on the accuracy of eye witness memories

Investigate the impact of cross-examination upon the quality of eyewitness testimonies

Hypotheses

Eyewitnesses who are in a positive mood tend to offer inaccurate testimonies, whereas eyewitnesses in a negative mood tend to offer more accurate testimonies

Eyewitnesses tend top change their testimonies of witnessed events when they are cross-examined

Participants

96 students, out of which 54 were female and 42 were male

22 students, out of which 18 were female and 4 were male

Materials

Two A4 size models, one of a wedding -- the positive event -- and one of a car crash -- the negative event.

Stuck Writing Your "Cross-Examination on the Accuracy of Adult Eyewitness" Essay?

View All Our Example Cross-Examination on the Accuracy of Adult Eyewitness Essay

Have A Custom Example Essay Written



A 90 minute video of a young girl in a library, an assumed crime, with controlled details viewed by participants

Procedure

One 3 x 2 experiment design with affects of happy, sad and control to provide information and assess it. Second and third experiments assessed the meta-cognitive awareness and the confidence of participants in their eyewitnesses reports.

After watching the video, the participants were asked a series of questions and they were asked to complete a questionnaire. After another four weeks, they were asked the questions again to assess any changes in testimonies.

Results

Eyewitnesses in a more positive mood tented to give misleading information, by including information they received after the event.

The participants changed their testimonies under cross-examination. They also gave lesser quality testimonies when there were more witnesses, then when only one individual had witnessed the event.

Limitations

The accuracy of the testimonies could have been influenced by other elements, such as identity, status or influence of the misleader, none of which were considered. Also, the mood of the witness was not assessed externally,….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Cross-Examination On The Accuracy Of Adult Eyewitness" (2015, March 10) Retrieved June 6, 2026, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/cross-examination-accuracy-adult-eyewitness-2149722

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Cross-Examination On The Accuracy Of Adult Eyewitness" 10 March 2015. Web.6 June. 2026. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/cross-examination-accuracy-adult-eyewitness-2149722>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Cross-Examination On The Accuracy Of Adult Eyewitness", 10 March 2015, Accessed.6 June. 2026,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/cross-examination-accuracy-adult-eyewitness-2149722
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example