Special Case: Eyewitness Credibility

Special Case: Eyewitness Credibility

by Catherine Zank

​Quick Review:

​When faced with opinions and tentative truths, it's important to know how much we can trust our sources and how much they know about the subject at hand. It is important to know how to evaluate the credibility of your sources so that you can make well-informed decisions.

​

​Let's review yesterday...

Multiple Choice

Which source is the most credible?

Regarding the best way to diaper a small baby.

• a pediatrician

• a baby store owner

• a family development counselor

• a mother of four

Multiple Choice

Which source is most credible -

In defense of a girl accused of shoplifting...

• her mother

• her best friend

• the store owner

• the police officer

Multiple Choice

This type of bias suggests that people can act on the basis of prejudice and stereotypes without intending to do so.

• implicit bias

• explicit bias

• confirmation bias

Multiple Choice

This bias happens when individuals are aware of their prejudices and attitudes toward certain groups.

• implicit bias

• confirmation bias

• explicit bias

• in group bias

Multiple Choice

If you wanted to buy a new cell phone, choose the source with the most expertise to help you determine your decision.

• the cell-phone company

• teenagers

• the ad on tv

• Consumer Reports magazine

​Special Case: Eyewitness Credibility

​One of the most difficult but important times to determine credibility is when there are eyewitnesses to a crime or other incident. Unfortunately, just because someone was at the scene doesn’t mean his or her account is credible.

​Four factors that influence the credibility of eyewitnesses:

​1. Bias

2. Environment

3. Physical and emotional condition of the

witness

4. Time between event and recollection of the event

Multiple Choice

Two coworkers, Andrea and Brady, get in a fight. There are three witnesses. Al is friends with Andrea; Bea is friends with Brady, and Cecil is friends with both Andrea and Brady. Who will have the most unbiased opinion?

• Bea

• Al

• Cecil

Open Ended

Other factors can also interfere with witness credibility. If an incident occurs at a bar, for example, we have several possible interferences. Name one or two.

​Most Important Factor!

In all eyewitness accounts, the longer the time between the event and the time of questioning, the more unreliable the account of the witness will most likely be. Think for a minute about your childhood.

​

​Did you ever tell a story about something that happened when you were little, only to be corrected by a parent or sibling who says, “That’s not what happened”? Their version is different. Why? Because our memory fades quickly and can be influenced by our own ideas about ourselves and others.

​Speaking of memory, let's test yours... You will have 30 seconds to look at the following image and then you will answer a few questions.

Multiple Choice

What time was it on the clock?

• 1:28

• 3:30

• 5:02

• 12:43

Multiple Choice

How many people were in the scene?

• 5

• 8

• 7

• 6

Multiple Choice

What color is the man's hat int he window?

• red

• blue

• green

• yellow

Open Ended

Describe the first person in line? What clothes were they wearing? Man or woman? Tall or short? etc..

Open Ended

Did you notice anything unusual in the picture?

​Find as many hidden pictures as you can. Get ready to list them.

Open Ended

Type as fast as you can, all the hidden objects you can remember.

Multiple Choice

Imagine you are a police officer who has just arrived at the scene of a fight between two young men on a street corner. Three people witnessed the incident, which occurred at 9:00 P.M. You arrive and begin interviewing witnesses at 9:20 P.M. The street corner is well lit. Who do you think is the most credible witness, and why?

• Witness A is an elderly woman who was sitting

  on the stoop about ten feet from the corner.

  She was wearing her glasses, but she admits

  that she needs a stronger prescription. Her

  hearing, however, is fine. She doesn’t know

  either boy involved in the incident, though

  she’s seen them around the neighborhood

  before.

• Witness B is a friend of one of the boys but

  does not know the other. He is an outstanding

  student at the local high school and a star

  basketball player. He was at the deli around the

  corner buying bread when he heard the boys

  shouting and came out to see what was going

  on. He had just had a fight with his girlfriend.

• Witness C is a stranger to the neighborhood. He was crossing the street toward the corner when the boys started fighting. He has 20/20

  vision. He is 45 and has two teenage children. He was only a few feet away from the boys when the fight occurred.

​In short...

​When you’re making decisions and solving problems, it’s important to consider the credibility of your sources. To determine whether a source is trustworthy, you must first rule out the potential for bias and then evaluate the source’s level of expertise. Expertise is determined by education, experience, job or position, reputation, and achievements. Eyewitness credibility, on the other hand, must take into consideration the

witness’s potential for bias, the environment, the condition of the witness, and the time-lapse between the event and the witness’s recollection of the event.