Observation and Memory Recall Flashcards
7 cards from real PPAER practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Observation and Memory Recall flashcards as text
A surveillance image shows a suspect entering a store at 14:22 and leaving at 14:37. How long was the suspect inside the store?
Answer: 15 minutes
From 14:22 to 14:37 is exactly 15 minutes; simple time subtraction is a core skill in incident timeline reconstruction.
When interviewing a witness, an investigator asks: 'Didn't you see the suspect pull out a GUN?' This is problematic because:
Answer: It is a leading question that can implant false memories
Leading questions introduce specific details not initially reported by the witness, which can be incorporated into the witness's memory through post-event suggestion.
An officer documents: 'Suspect wearing grey sweatpants, black hoodie, white t-shirt visible at collar, no hat.' If asked later whether the suspect wore a hat, the BEST evidence-based answer is:
Answer: 'No hat was observed at the time of contact'
Official notes made at the time of contact are the most reliable record; the officer should cite direct observation documented contemporaneously.
A crime scene photograph shows: a broken window (upper left), a blood stain near the door (lower right), overturned furniture (center), and muddy footprints leading toward the kitchen (upper right). Where are the footprints heading?
Answer: Toward the kitchen
The description explicitly states that muddy footprints lead toward the kitchen, located in the upper right of the photograph.
Which of the following BEST describes the 'weapon focus effect' in eyewitness observation?
Answer: Witnesses focus attention on a visible weapon, reducing recall of other details
The weapon focus effect is the tendency for witnesses to concentrate their attention on a visible weapon, which reduces encoding of peripheral details like the perpetrator's face.
An officer observes a parking lot with 12 cars. Later, 3 cars depart and 5 new ones arrive. How many cars are now in the lot?
Answer: 14
Starting with 12, subtracting 3 departures gives 9, then adding 5 arrivals gives 14 cars total.
An officer observes two individuals fighting. Person A is wearing all black; Person B is wearing jeans and a yellow jacket. After separating them, which clothing detail is EASIEST to recall accurately?
Answer: Person B's jacket color
Yellow is a highly distinctive, salient color that stands out from common clothing tones, making it one of the most reliably encoded and recalled visual details.