Test Bank Answers Applied Social Psychology Chapter 15 1e

Chapter 15

Applied Social Psychology

1. With regard to eyewitness testimony, research has shown that:

a. trained police officers are more accurate than the general public in their memory of a crime

b. trained police officers are no more accurate than the general public in their memory of a crime

c. people who express high certainty that they are correct are more accurate

d. high certainty does not guarantee accuracy

e. both b and d

2. Which of the following has NOT been shown to be associated with the accuracy of eyewitness testimony?

a. a high degree of certainty

b. level of illumination

c. expertise and experience

d. all of the above

e. both a and c

3. According to the text, an eyewitness is more likely to make a correct identification:

a. if the person to be identified is a member of another race

b. if the person to be identified is of their own race

c. in twilight conditions

d. if the witness is very certain

e. if the perpetrator uses a weapon to commit the crime

4. Which of the following is NOT among the variables identified by Shapiro and Penrod (1986) as influencing the accuracy of face recognition?

a. whether the target was seen as distinctive or unusual

b. whether the target's face had been changed in some way between the time of observation and identification

c. whether identification was tested in the same context in which the target had been observed

d. whether the target was of the same race as the subject

e. all the above factors are suggested by Shapiro and Penrod

5. In an experiment, participants viewed photographs previously shown to arouse positive or negative emotions. Half of each group were exposed to misleading questions, such as about the non-existent animal in the picture. Those expose to misleading questions increased false memories, particularly when:

a. positive emotions had been aroused

b. negative emotions had been aroused

c. no emotional arousal (control group)

d. there really was an animal in the picture

e. the animal was similar to their own dog

6. Stress may affect the recall of eyewitnesses through:

a. distraction

b. perceptual distortion

c. emotional upset

d. all of the above

e. none of the above

7. Witnessing violence can cause distress:

a. only when the witness was directly involved

b. whether the violence is actual or threatened

c. even if the violence was not directed at the witness

d. both b and c

e. none of the above

8. The critical feature of a police line-up is:

a. the absolute number of participants from which the witness may identify the culprit

b. the nature of the crime for which the culprit is charged

c. the type of description given by the eyewitness prior to the line-up

d. the functional number of participants from which the witness may identify the culprit

e. whether or not the witness has an experience with other line-ups

9. If a suspect is described as being physically attractive and there are four attractive people in a line-up of ten, then the functional number in the line-up is:

a. 4

b. 6

c. 10

d. 2

e. 8

10. How could accuracy be increased in police line-up identification procedures?

a. line-up is large enough that the possibility of selecting the wrong person by chance is low

b. use ‘double-blind’ procedures

c. do not include other people with the same physical features as the suspect

d. both a and b

e. both b and c

11. Research on the effects of a ‘mugshot’ on later identifications in a line-up indicates that:

a. subjects who view mugshots are more likely to make the correct choice in a later line-up

b. subjects who view mugshots are less likely to make the correct choice in a later line-up

c. subjects are more likely to make the correct choice if they watch the mugshots after the line-up

d. subjects are more likely to make the correct choice if they watch the mugshots before the line-up

e. none of the above

12. The study by Loftus (1992) in which eyewitness subjects saw a film of an automobile accident in which they later read a police report that contained incorrect information. What happened when they were asked to report on what they had seen in the film?

a. they reported in a biased manner

b. they ignored the police report

c. they exaggerate the police report

d. they were influenced by the police report only on the colour of the vehicle

e. female participants were more influenced by the police report than were male participants

13. The study by Loftus (1979) in which eyewitness subjects saw a film of an automobile accident involving a green car showed the effects of:

a. demand characteristics

b. ‘leading questions’ involving the colour of the car

c. the extent of damage on memory

d. whether there was personal injury

e. all of the above

14. In the study by Loftus (1979) in which eyewitness subjects saw a film of an automobile accident:

a. effects of misleading questions were evident only for female participants

b. effects of misleading questions were immediate but disappeared after a week

c. effects of misleading questions lasted over a week later

d. effects of misleading questions occurred only with previously biased jurors

e. none of the above

15. What kind of witnesses most impress jurors?

a. eyewitnesses

b. expert witnesses

c. experts on eyewitness accuracy

d. female witnesses

e. none of the above

16. In what way does memory for trivial details influence jury verdict?

a. it casts doubts on the credibility of the witness

b. jurors tend to make inferences about the attentiveness, capacity for facial memory and general credibility of the witness

c. jurors interpret this to mean that the witness does not have details of the central events and is only trying to ‘make up’ for the key issues

d. it does not affect the jurors' decision in any way

e. both a and c

17. According to the text, accuracy of testimony is most likely to improve if:

a. witnesses respond to specific questions first and then give a free recall report

b. witnesses give free reports only

c. witnesses give a free recall first, and then respond to specific questions

d. witnesses only respond to specific questions

e. witnesses are only asked broad, general questions

18. Which of the following methods has been found to be associated with greater accuracy of testimony?

a. broad general questions

b. free recall narrative

c. specific direct examination

d. forced-choice cross-examination

e. multiple choice

19. In a study by Marquis, Marshall and Oskamp (1972) four formats were used to interrogate witnesses. It was found that:

a. free recall was most complete and most accurate

b. free recall was least complete and most accurate

c. specific direct examination was least complete and most accurate

d. it didn't matter what form of interrogation was used

e. broad general questions were least complete and least accurate

20. The main concern with jury simulation studies is that:

a. it may be difficult to generalize from these studies to other courtroom situations

b. the experimental situation might not capture or represent the real-world environment of the courtroom

c. its reliability is questionable

d. both a and b

e. all of the above

21. What is the CSI effect?

a. jurors who watch a lot of television are more biased

b. jurors come to expect physical evidence such as DNA

c. jurors want to investigate the crime scene for themselves

d. jurors deny the accuracy of physical evidence

e. none of the above

22. Cognitive processes jurors go through in arriving at a verdict include:

a. the construction of a narrative

b. a reliance on eyewitness testimony

c. a dismissal of statistical evidence

d. both a and c

e. all of the above

23. According to Feather (1999) in deciding on a sentence, jurors evaluate two factors. Name them.

a. extent of responsibility and seriousness of the crime

b. consequences of the crime and accuracy of the witnesses

c seriousness of the crime and physical attractiveness of the accused

d. physical attractiveness and race of the accused

e. values and prejudices of the jurors

24. Which of the following best summarizes the research on lie detection?

a. people who are trained can accurately tell if someone is lying

b. people in general can distinguish truth from lying at slightly above chance level

c. people in general can distinguish truth from lying in most cases

d. people can tell who is lying when they are suspicious

e. paranoid people can pick out who is lying with amazing accuracy

25. What is the M’Naghten Rule about?

a. diminished responsibility

b. legal insanity

c. laws in Scotland

d. all of the above

e. both a and b

26. What is crucial in the concept of legal responsibility?

a. intentions of the actor

b. consequences of the act

c. legal insanity

d. all of the above

e. both a and c

27. What was found in the study by Pfeifer (1989) in which mock jurors viewed a prosecuting lawyer question a male defendant?

a. both male and female jurors rated the defendant as not guilty when the prosecuting lawyer was female

b. male jurors rated the defendant as less likely to be guilty when the prosecutor was female

c. male jurors rated the male prosecutor as more effective

d. both a and c

e. both b and c