Active learning ideas
Eyewitness testimony (EWT) is a critical application of memory research within the legal system. Students examine how factors like leading questions, post-event discussion, and anxiety can distort a witness's recall. The topic features the landmark research of Elizabeth Loftus, which demonstrated the 'misinformation effect' and the fragility of human memory. This is a high-stakes area of psychology that highlights the real-world consequences of cognitive errors.
Activity 01
Students watch a short clip of a crime. One 'witness' is given leading questions by a 'lawyer' while the other is not. The class then compares their testimonies to see if the leading questions changed the witness's memory.
How do leading questions alter a witness's memory of an event?
Activity 02
In pairs, students take turns being an interviewer and a witness. The interviewer must use the four stages of the cognitive interview (report everything, context reinstatement, reverse order, changed perspective) to gather information about a recent event.
Does anxiety have a positive or negative effect on recall?
Activity 03
Display different studies on anxiety, such as the 'weapon focus' study and the 'Yuille and Cutshall' real-life shooting study. Students move between stations to evaluate whether anxiety helps or hinders memory in each case.
Why is the cognitive interview more effective than standard police interviews?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Memory works like a video camera.
Emphasise that memory is reconstructive, not reproductive. We fill in gaps with expectations and new information. Using 'spot the difference' tasks after a delay helps students see how their brains 'fill in' missing details incorrectly.
High anxiety always makes memory worse.
Explain the Yerkes-Dodson law, which suggests that moderate anxiety can actually improve alertness and recall. Comparing laboratory studies with real-life case studies helps students see the complex relationship between stress and memory.
Methods used in this brief
Models of Memory
A detailed look at the Multi-Store Model and the Working Memory Model. Students will compare how these frameworks explain short-term and long-term memory capacities.
8 methodologies
Explanations for Forgetting
Students will explore why we forget information, focusing on proactive and retroactive interference, as well as retrieval failure due to the absence of cues.
8 methodologies