Teacher notes—Chapter 13
Major idea
To develop an understanding of
 Witnesses at a crime scene: what factors impact on how accurately they
can remember what they saw?

Information must be accurately encoded to be able to be stored and
recalled

Eyewitness testimony may be unreliable due to psychological factors
and environmental factors

Types of memory: autobiographical memory and reconstructive
memory

Recall of events may be influenced by misleading questions and
retrieval cues
Sample lesson plans (4 lessons)
Lesson 1: Factors influencing eyewitness testimony
Time Name and type of
Details
activity
Comments
20
mins
Quiz: Bonnie and Clyde
Website
activity 13.1
20
mins
Activity: How accurately
can you identify details
from a crime scene?
20
mins
Concept map: Factors
influencing eyewitness
testimony
Show students the movie Bonnie and Clyde, which
stars Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway (You can
keep to the bank robbery/getaway scene.)
Alternatively, you can adapt this activity/quiz to a
different movie. The aim is to test students’
observational skills and eye for detail for eyewitness
testimony, plus the concept of misleading
questioning techniques.
This activity follows on from the previous one, using
the footage from Bonnie and Clyde to test students’
ability to describe the features of the ‘criminals’
Bonnie and Clyde.
• Individual student descriptions
• Share descriptions with a partner. Create a
common profile. Are there differences in the way
they saw it? Why?
Create a concept map showing factors discussed in
this lesson (and others) that can influence eyewitness
testimony.
Students can keep adding ideas to this concept map
throughout this topic.
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
Website
activity 13.2
Lesson 2: Role of memory in eyewitness testimony
Time Name and type of
Details
activity
10
mins
Activity: Testing your
memory!
This is a fun activity to highlight to students just how
much detail escapes our attention even when we
think we are familiar with a stimulus! (Investigate
13.1)
10
mins
Activity: Memory
triggers—retrieval cues
10
mins
Flowchart: Stages of
memory
15
mins
Activity: Contextdependent cues
10
mins
Case study: Applying
context-dependent
memory
Homework task: Add
further ideas to Concept
map: Factors influencing
eyewitness testimony
Sometimes suggestion can trigger a memory you
thought you had forgotten. Try these cues for
retrieval. What can you remember?
(Investigate 13.2)
Complete a flowchart that shows the relationship
between encoding, storage and retrieval of memory.
In the flowchart include key ideas for each stage.
(Website activity 13.4)
This activity is a fun way for students to explore the
concept of context-dependent cues to trigger
memories. The concept can then be easily related to
the use of context-dependent cues in eyewitness
testimony. (Website activity 13.5)
Read ‘A case of mistaken identity’ (Case study, text p.
166). Ask students to explain this scenario in terms of
context-dependent memory.
Lesson 3: Identification of suspects
Time Name and type of
Details
activity
10
mins
Activity: Can you pick the
suspect?
50
mins
Activity: Create your own
police line-up
OR
Activity: Create your own
‘artistic impression’
Use the eyewitness description to pick the suspect
out of the line-up. (Investigate 13.3). Discuss the
differences between fair and biased line-ups. What
makes a fair line-up?
Create a crime scene, an eyewitness description and
a fair line-up for identification. (Investigate 13.4;
Website activity 13.6)
Students are to create an ‘artistic impression’ of
someone they know—either from memory, or of a
partner. (Investigate 13.4; Website activity 13.7)
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
Comments
Investigate
13.1 (text p.
164)
Website
activity 13.3
Investigate
13.2 (text p.
165)
Website
activity 13.4
Text p. 164
Website
activity 13.5
Case study
(text p. 166)
Comments
Investigate
13.3 (text p.
169)
Investigate
13.4 (text p.
170) and
Website
activity 13.6
Investigate
13.4 (text p.
170) and
Website
activity 13.7
Lesson 4: Evaluating research
Time Name and type of
Details
activity
30
mins
Evaluate research by
Loftus (1979) or Loftus
and Palmer (1974)
30
mins
Begin with a movie or TV
show as a stimulus for
discussion OR to write an
essay on an element of
eyewitness testimony.
Continue over subsequent
lesson/s.
Students are to read the research by Loftus (1979) on
text p. 167 or Loftus and Palmer (1974) on text p.
167. Complete details of research in evaluation of
research.
For example, The Hurricane (true story of Rubin
Carter; highlight inadequacies of eyewitness
testimony for conviction).
Essay or debate: The inadequacies of eyewitness
testimony led to Rubin Carter’s unjust conviction.
Sample ideas for assessment
Visual presentation: Concept map (as a summary of factors influencing eyewitness
testimony)
Essay or debate: Suggested topic—The inadequacies of eyewitness testimony led
to Rubin Carter’s unjust conviction (lesson 4)
Flowchart: Stages of memory (Website activity 13.4)
Visual presentation: Collage creating context-dependent cues for personal
memories (Website activity 13.5)
Key terms and concepts
Autobiographical memory
Context-dependent cues
Environmental factors
Eyewitness testimony
Forensic psychology
Memory encoding
Memory retrieval
Memory storage
Misleading questions
Photo identification
Police line-ups
Psychological factors
Reconstructive memory
Retrieval cues
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
Comments
Text p. 167
Supporting website activities
13.1 Eyewitness testimony: Bonnie and Clyde quiz
13.2 Eyewitness testimony: How accurately can you identify details from a crime
scene?
13.3 Testing your memory!
13.4 Flowchart: Stages of memory
13.5 Eyewitness testimony: Context-dependent cues
13.6 Create your own police line-up
13.7 Create your own ‘artistic impression’
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.1 Eyewitness testimony: Bonnie and Clyde
quiz
(Bank robbery and getaway scenes—approx. 5 mins viewing)
This activity uses a scene from Bonnie and Clyde, a classic movie starring Warren
Beatty and Faye Dunaway. You may, alternatively, use a different movie and
show a segment that contains a crime in action. The scene should be one that
allows the students to pick up details as ‘eyewitnesses’ to the crime. The questions
and activities would need to be suitably adapted. For full use of the quiz, the
selected movie scene would need to include footage of moving vehicles (i.e.
getaway vehicle/s).
Instructions
1
Play the movie segment from Bonnie and Clyde (scene 18, i.e. bank
robbery and getaway scene); approx 5 mins viewing) at the start of the class. Tell
the class that it is just a video to get them motivated and ready to learn.
2
Hand out the Bonnie and Clyde quiz. Note there are two surveys: one
labelled ** and the other labelled ##. (They are identical except that Q10 is
worded differently in each quiz: the words hit or smash are used to describe the car
collision.) Give one version of the quiz to one half of the class and the other
version to the other half of the class.
3
Correct the quiz. You may need to replay the video.
4
Analyse the data and discuss the previous findings. This could include the
following as an introduction to concepts that could be covered in this unit:
a
accuracy of real eyewitness identification
b
attention to peripheral detail (e.g. Q5 and 7) often decreases as
identification (e.g. Q2 and 8) increases
c
leading questions
–
Q10—Was there a difference between the average estimate
of speed in the smash group versus the hit group? (‘Smash’ is the
stronger word and more likely to lead to a higher speed estimate
than will the word ‘hit’.) Refer to Loftus & Palmer (1974) study.
–
Q11—How many people answered Q11? How confident are
they of their answer? This is a misleading question as there is not a
correct answer and such a question may reconstruct memory.
(Students may strongly believe that there was an answer and alter
their memory accordingly.) Refer to Loftus (1978) study, text pp.
167–8.
d
reconstruction of memory
e
police questioning techniques
f
context- and state-dependent cues
g
causes of forgetting.
5
Make sure the class is fully debriefed. Discuss why deception was
necessary at the start of the lesson.
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
Quiz answers
The answers are as follows: 1D; 2A; 3A; 4B; 5A; 6B; 7A; 8B; 9C; 10?
(smash/hit); 11 No correct answer.
The answers are the same for both quizzes, with the exception of Q10, which
relies on the perception of speed based on the leading question.
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
Quiz: Bonnie and Clyde eyewitness testimony **
1
How many guns did the bank robbers hold up at the start of the robbery?
a
one
b
two
c
three
d
four
2
One of the male robbers was wearing a hat. Which of the following is the
best description of the hat?
a
white hat with a black band
b
black hat with a white band
c
tan hat
d
black beret
3
Did the female robber have a gun?
a
Yes: she held it in her right hand
b
Yes: she held it in her left hand
c
Yes: she kept it in her black bag throughout the robbery
d
No
4
One shot was fired in the bank. What was hit?
a
the bank robber’s (without the hat) hand
b
the policeman’s hat
c
the policeman’s gun
d
the bank customer’s money (note) on the bench
5
What was hanging on the wall in the bank?
a
a deer’s head
b
a moose’s head
c
a poster advertising the feature band for Saturday night
d
a portrait of the founder of the bank
6
What colour tie was worn by the male robber without the hat?
a
blue
b
red
c
green
d
white
7
What colour dress was worn by the lady sitting near the door?
a
blue
b
red
c
green
d
black
8
Which of the following is the best description of the hair of the male
robber without the hat?
a
short, straight light brown hair
b
short, curly light brown hair
c
short, straight dark brown hair
d
short, curly dark brown hair
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
9
What did one of the police cars hit when it sped out of control around the
corner?
a
a pole
b
another police car
c
a sign
d
a fence
10
How fast was the police car going when it hit this item?
a
45 km/h
b
55 km/h
c
65 km/h
d
75 km/h
11
What jewellery was the female robber wearing?
a
a fine gold necklace
b
two thin gold bangles
c
large gold sleeper earrings
d
a fine gold ring
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
Quiz: Bonnie and Clyde eyewitness testimony ##
1
How many guns did the bank robbers hold up at the start of the robbery?
a
one
b
two
c
three
d
four
2
One of the male robbers was wearing a hat. Which of the following is the
best description of the hat?
a
white hat with a black band
b
black hat with a white band
c
tan hat
d
black beret
3
Did the female robber have a gun?
a
Yes: she held it in her right hand
b
Yes: she held it in her left hand
c
Yes: she kept it in her black bag throughout the robbery
d
No
4
One shot was fired in the bank. What was hit?
a
the bank robber’s (without the hat) hand
b
the policeman’s hat
c
the policeman’s gun
d
the bank customer’s money (note) on the bench
5
What was hanging on the wall in the bank?
a
a deer’s head
b
a moose’s head
c
a poster advertising the feature band for Saturday night
d
a portrait of the founder of the bank
6
What colour tie was worn by the male robber without the hat?
a
blue
b
red
c
green
d
white
7
What colour dress was worn by the lady sitting near the door?
a
blue
b
red
c
green
d
black
8
Which of the following is the best description of the hair of the male
robber without the hat?
a
short straight light brown hair
b
short curly light brown hair
c
short straight dark brown hair
d
short curly dark brown hair
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
9
What did one of the police cars hit when it sped out of control around the
corner?
a
a pole
b
another police car
c
a sign
d
a fence
10
How fast was the police car going when it smashed into this item?
a
45 km/h
b
55 km/h
c
65 km/h
d
75 km/h
11
What jewellery was the female robber wearing?
a
a fine gold necklace
b
two thin gold bangles
c
large gold sleeper earrings
d
a fine gold ring
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.2 Eyewitness testimony: How accurately
can you identify details from a crime scene?
This activity can follow on from the footage of Bonnie and Clyde.
1
After viewing the footage of the bank robbery in Bonnie and Clyde, inform
the students that they have been witnesses to a crime. The police are relying on
their testimony to identify the crooks.
2
Fill in as many details as possible in the table below.
Feature
Bonnie
Clyde
Height
Hair colour
Eye colour
Shape of nose
Hair description
Clothing
Shape of face
Unusual features
3
Share your profile with a partner to create a common profile.
Feature
Bonnie
Clyde
Height
Hair colour
Eye colour
Shape of nose
Hair description
Clothing
Shape of face
Unusual features
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
4
How accurate were individual profiles? Were shared profiles more accurate
than individual ones?
5
Introduce weapon focus: how can it impact on what we pay attention to?
(refer to text p. 167)
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.3 Testing your memory!
(Investigate 13.1, Oxford Psychology Year 10, text p. 164)
How accurate is your memory? This activity is a fun one that highlights to
students just how much detail escapes our attention even when we think we are
familiar with a stimulus!
Try these activities to test your memory for detail.
1
How well do you know Australian money?
a
How many straight sides are there on a 50 cent coin?
b
How many kangaroos are on a $1 coin?
c
On a 50 cent coin is a kangaroo and an emu: which side of the coat
of arms do each stand?
d
Which coin carries the Southern Cross constellation?
2
Draw the logos of the following from memory: Telstra and ANZ bank.
3
Sketch the Australian flag.
4
How did you score? These are all items with which you are likely to be
familiar. Why might most people score badly on a task such as this, even if the
object is familiar?
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.4 Flowchart: Stages of memory
1
Complete a flowchart that shows the relationship between encoding,
storage and retrieval of memory.
a
Add the terms ‘encoding’, ‘storage’ and ‘retrieval’ to the
appropriate boxes.
b
Include key ideas relating to each stage of memory in your
flowchart.
c
Include key words next to each set of arrows to describe the
relationship between each stage of memory.
Refer to Oxford Psychology Year 10, text p. 164 to assist in completing this
flowchart.
↓
↓↑
2
Some questions to think about:
a
Why are there arrows heading in each direction between storage
and retrieval of memory?
b
Why is there only one arrow between encoding and storage?
c
Where would autobiographical memory fit into this flowchart?
Explain your answer.
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.5 Eyewitness testimony: Contextdependent cues
This activity is a fun way for students to explore the concept of context-dependent
cues to trigger memories. The concept can then be related easily to the use of
context-dependent cues in eyewitness testimony.
1
Present a range of different images that would be meaningful to students
throughout their lifetime; for example, music groups, toys, TV shows, movies
from the 1990s and early 2000s.
2
Discuss the effect of these images on memory. What memories do they
trigger?
3
Relate this to context-dependent cues as memory triggers.
4
Students can then have fun with this activity and create a collage of images
that create contextual cues for personal old memories; for example, family
holidays, school friends, childhood friends, special pieces of school work, kinder
paintings, childhood toys, music groups, TV shows, movies and favourite kids
food.
5
Discuss: How many of these memories would not have been revisited
without the cues? How accurate are our ‘revisited’ memories? Share them with
family or friends: how similar are your memories?
6
Discuss: Why might the following scenario be the most effective for exam
performance?
Wearing your school uniform, sitting the exam in the classroom in which you have
learned the material, having your regular teacher supervise the exam.
What other situational factors may contribute to creating an effective
context for recall?
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.6 Create your own police line-up
1
Create a ‘crime’ that has been committed by one person. Describe the
crime scene, with details of what happened and when. Select a photograph (from a
magazine or newspaper) of the ‘suspect’ of the crime.
2
Create an eyewitness description to fit your suspect, based on the
photograph selected.
3
Create a ‘line-up’ for identification of the suspect, using the photograph of
your suspect and a further five images from a magazine or newspaper. Ensure that
you make it a fair and unbiased selection. Paste the images onto a sheet for your
police line-up.
4
Test your line-up on other members of the class. Can they pick your
suspect?
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia
13.7 Create your own ‘artistic impression’
This is an activity for students to enjoy. They can have fun exploring just how
difficult it can be to recall details as an eyewitness.
Choose one of the following activities.
1
a
Think of a face you are familiar with: a famous face or someone
you know well.
b
Create an ‘artistic impression’ by sketching the face from memory.
Focus on details of features, such as face shape, and the shape and position
of the eyes, mouth, nose, ears, eyebrows, chin, hairline and teeth.
c
Compare your sketch to a photo or to the person in reality. How
accurate are you? Can others identify your sketch?
OR
2
a
Work with a partner. Sketch your partner’s face. Focus on the same
details.
b
Can the rest of the class guess the identity? What features were the
most influential in determining identity?
Oxford Psychology Year 10 ISBN 978 0 19 556879 0 © Oxford University Press Australia