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Rose witnessed a robbery at a bank - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 7 - 2019 - Paper 2
Question 7
Rose witnessed a robbery at a bank. Whilst she was waiting to give her statement to the police she was in a room with other witnesses to the robbery. Rose gave an in... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Rose witnessed a robbery at a bank - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 7 - 2019 - Paper 2
Step 1
Describe how post-event information may have affected Rose’s testimony of the robbery.
Answer
Post-event information can significantly impact a witness's recollection of an event. In Rose's case, she might have discussed the bank robbery with other witnesses, which could have led to the misrecollection of critical details.
For instance, Rose originally recalled the robber as having brown hair. However, after conversing with the other witnesses, her memory could have been altered. Additionally, information from the media, such as the mention of a weapon in the robbery report, may have introduced incorrect details into Rose's memory. This phenomenon, known as the misinformation effect, can lead to the incorporation of misleading information into personal memories, thereby affecting the reliability of her testimony.
Step 2
Describe how the police may have carried out a cognitive interview with Rose.
Answer
In conducting a cognitive interview, the police would have first encouraged Rose to recount everything she remembered about the robbery in detail, emphasizing that even small details could be significant. This approach aims to enhance memory retrieval by allowing her to provide her account in a free and relaxed manner.
The police might have also prompted her to visualize the scene, asking her to reconstruct the environment of the bank, including any background elements like sounds or objects that could trigger further memories. To help facilitate this, they might have used specific questions later in the interview to guide Rose's recollection, without leading her towards certain answers. The ultimate goal of this technique is to obtain a more accurate and comprehensive account of the events based on Rose's authentic recollections.