LAPD Observation and Memory Recall 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: 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?
- Source monitoring error — attributing the tag to the shooter without direct evidence (Correct answer)
- Confabulation — inventing details about the tag's color
- Weapon focus — fixating on the tag instead of the shooter
- Misinformation effect from another witness
Correct 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.
Question 2: After responding to a multi-vehicle collision, you need to recall the sequence of events described by four different witnesses. The BEST practice is:
- Average the four accounts into one unified narrative
- Interview each witness separately and document their accounts individually before comparing (Correct answer)
- Have the witnesses discuss among themselves to reach a consensus
- Accept only the account of the first witness on scene as most accurate
Correct 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.
Question 3: 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?
- The number of photos in the lineup
- Memory decay combined with any intervening exposures to suspect descriptions or images (Correct answer)
- The order in which the photos are presented
- The physical size of the photos
Correct 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.
Question 4: 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?
- Rely on headlight backscatter from your unit
- Use your flashlight directed at the driver's face while also noting the artificial light source type (Correct answer)
- Use only the vehicle's interior dome light
- Ask the driver to step into streetlight to improve visibility
Correct 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.
Question 5: 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?
- List it as a reliable identification since the victim has familiarity with the model
- Ask the victim to specifically name the make and model and document what the comparison was based on (Correct answer)
- Ignore the comparison and only record 'unknown make and model'
- Contact the neighbor to confirm the vehicle type
Correct 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.
Question 6: The 'weapon focus effect' in eyewitness memory refers to:
- Witnesses overestimating the size of a weapon used in a crime
- A witness's attention being drawn to a visible weapon, reducing memory accuracy for other details like the perpetrator's face (Correct answer)
- The tendency of officers to focus on weapons during evidence collection
- How trauma causes witnesses to remember weapons more vividly than faces
Correct 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.
Question 7: You are completing a use-of-force report and need to describe a subject's behavior. The most accurate approach is to:
- Use general terms like 'aggressive' and 'threatening' to capture the overall tone
- Describe specific observable actions — e.g., 'subject raised right fist to shoulder height and stepped forward' — rather than interpretive labels (Correct answer)
- Include your interpretation of the subject's mental state
- Summarize the interaction without quoting or referencing physical movements
Correct 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.
LAPD Observation and Memory Recall 3
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?