Observation and Memory Recall Flashcards

A witness reports seeing a gang tag sprayed on a wall immediately after hearing gunshots. Which type of memory error is the witness most susceptible to?

Answer: Source monitoring error — attributing the tag to the shooter without direct evidence

Source monitoring errors occur when a person misattributes the origin of information, such as incorrectly linking the graffiti to the gunshots.

After responding to a multi-vehicle collision, you need to recall the sequence of events described by four different witnesses. The BEST practice is:

Answer: Interview each witness separately and document their accounts individually before comparing

Separate documentation prevents witness contamination and preserves the independent value of each account for investigative and legal purposes.

You are asked to identify a suspect in a photo lineup 48 hours after witnessing an incident. Which factor most threatens the accuracy of your identification?

Answer: Memory decay combined with any intervening exposures to suspect descriptions or images

Memory decays over time and can be altered by subsequent information, making identifications made days later less reliable than immediate ones.

During a traffic stop at night, you observe the driver briefly. Which lighting technique best supports later accurate recall of the driver's facial features?

Answer: Use your flashlight directed at the driver's face while also noting the artificial light source type

Active illumination with a flashlight, combined with noting the light source, ensures better visual observation and legally documentable conditions.

A victim describes a suspect's car as 'the same model as my neighbor's car.' How should you handle this description in your report?

Answer: Ask the victim to specifically name the make and model and document what the comparison was based on

Comparative descriptions require follow-up to convert them into concrete make/model details and to document the basis for the comparison.

The 'weapon focus effect' in eyewitness memory refers to:

Answer: A witness's attention being drawn to a visible weapon, reducing memory accuracy for other details like the perpetrator's face

The weapon focus effect is a well-documented phenomenon where the presence of a weapon narrows a witness's attention, reducing recall accuracy for surrounding details.

You are completing a use-of-force report and need to describe a subject's behavior. The most accurate approach is to:

Answer: Describe specific observable actions — e.g., 'subject raised right fist to shoulder height and stepped forward' — rather than interpretive labels

Specific observable behaviors provide an objective, court-defensible record, whereas interpretive labels can be challenged as subjective and misleading.