Explain why recognition is usually superior to recall, how recognition is used by police departments, how various distractors can make recognition inaccurate, and how this inaccuracy can be minimized

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer will include that recognition memory involves the ability to correctly identify previously learned information. Recognition is usually superior to recall because more memory cues are present to "jog" one's memory. Recognition tasks include the use of photo arrays and lineups by police departments. However, the kind of distractors used can lead to inaccurate memories. If distractors are very similar to the correct item, memory may be poor. A reverse problem occurs when only one choice looks like it is correct. This can produce a false positive, or false sense of recognition. There have been instances in which witnesses describe a criminal as black, tall, or young. Then, a lineup was held in which the suspect was the only African American among whites, the only tall suspect, or the only young person. In such cases, a false identification is very likely. A better method is to have all the distractors look like the person witnesses described. Also, to reduce false positives, witnesses should be warned that the culprit may not be present. Many hundreds of people have been put in jail on the basis of mistaken eyewitness memories. To avoid tragic mistakes, it is far better to show witnesses one photo at a time (a sequential lineup). For each photo, the witness must decide whether the person is the culprit before another photo is shown.