Browsing by Subject "Memory -- Testing."
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Item Assessing the phenomenology of eyewitness memory for product identification.(2007-05-23T19:53:50Z) Holmes, Amanda E.; Weaver, Charles A.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.The effects of delay and misinformation on the phenomenological quality of subjects' memory for product brand identification were investigated in three experiments, elucidating the features of claimants' memory retrieval process for product brands during product liability lawsuits. Accuracy, confidence, and remember/know judgment for subjects' product brand identifications were assessed either 10 minutes or 1 week following a novel encoding condition. Both additive and contradictory misinformation reduced accuracy, particularly after a 1 week delay (Experiment 1). In Experiment 2, subjects were asked to make both RK judgments and confidence ratings for product brand recognition. Confidence and the proportion of "remember" judgments were positively correlated across all delay and misinformation conditions, most notably for false memories. When RK judgments were collected without confidence ratings, RK judgments themselves did not vary according to accuracy or delay (Experiment 3). Subjects largely interpreted the RK judgment as a dimension of confidence.Item Do actors or observers make better eyewitnesses?(2006-04-19T15:50:16Z) Colby, M. Amanda Earl.; Weaver, Charles A.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Researchers studying the reliability of eyewitness testimony have focused mainly on criminal rather than civil cases, specifically those including product identification and liability. With numerous lawsuits against product manufacturers (including toxic substances like asbestos), an understanding of the factors involved in memories of products is important. This study attempted to further the research on eyewitness memory in product identification by examining differences between witnesses with differing levels of product involvement. The effects of time, experience, and subjects' self-reported confidence were also analyzed. Subjects either observed or mixed a recipe and later answered a questionnaire about the brands used. Contrary to expectations, observers were more accurate than subjects who mixed the recipes. Overall, confidence was unrelated to accuracy. Also unexpectedly, more baking experience did not result in higher accuracy. Experienced subjects were more confident in their choices, suggesting experience inflates confidence without improving accuracy. Implications of these results in matters of product identification testimony are discussed.Item Eyewitness testimony in civil litigation: retention, suggestion, and misinformation in product identification.(2008-06-09T15:25:57Z) Terrell, Jonathan Trent.; Weaver, Charles A.; Psychology and Neuroscience.; Baylor University. Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience.Expert testimony in eyewitness memory cases is now common in criminal cases. However, eyewitness testimony is also critical in civil litigation, particularly in product liability cases involving alleged exposure to toxic substances like asbestos. Witnesses in these cases must recall specific brands of products that may have been used decades earlier. The present experiments investigate eyewitness memory for product brand names seen in videos of cooking shows and news reports. Although memory was reasonably accurate at brief delays, within a week recognition rates for the brand names dropped to scarcely above chance; nearly half of these delayed selections were of the most familiar (but unseen) brands. Subtle and inaccurate post-event suggestions embedded in questionnaires produced robust false alarm rates—nearly 70% of responses when the most popular brands were suggested. Refreshing with photographs of products also had a significant impact on identifications—when two brands were shown during refreshing, participants identified one of these between 75 and 90% of the time, regardless of the accuracy of the suggestions. Further, a digital editing program was used to produce photographs of products that do not exist—even these implausible products were identified over one quarter of the time following refreshing. Finally, refreshing designed to be neutral had little effect on identification, suggesting that the primary mechanism of photo refreshing ws suggestion rather than true memory jogging. Metamemory measures revealed that confidence in false alarms often matched or exceeded that attributed to correct identifications, a finding that is particularly disconcerting when the effect of witness confidence on jurors’ perception of reliability is considered. The implications of these findings for civil law are discussed.