You are a social psychologist contacted by a defense attorney who is convinced that her client is innocent of assault. The prosecution's case rests heavily on eyewitness testimony
You have agreed to serve as an expert witness whose task is to educate the jury about the shortcomings of eyewitness testimony. What would you tell the court?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: First, you would be well advised to summarize research evidence that eyewitness testimony is often inaccurate and suggest that jurors should carefully consider both the conditions under which the eyewitnesses saw the alleged offender (Did it all happen fast? How light was it? Was the assault unexpected?) and to consider the conditions under which the defendant was picked from a lineup (Were the foils similar to witnesses' initial descriptions? Were witnesses told that the perpetrator might not be in the lineup? Was the lineup sequential or simultaneous? Did the defendant just "pop out" at witnesses, or did they deliberate before identifying him?). Second, you would point out that confident eyewitnesses are not necessarily more accurate than are unconfident witnesses.
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A neonate enters the world with unlearned, organized, and involuntary responses that occur automatically in the presence of stimuli. What are these responses called?
A. behavioral intentions B. instincts C. reflexes D. preparations
Once you are called in for an interview,
a. the employer already knows you have the necessary training and experience to do the job. b. you must convince the employer that you are the kind of person who would fit well in the organization. c. you must come across as confident, enthusiastic, and ambitious. d. all of these apply.
Elijah rearranges the letters SI TTO PBA T into "sit top bat.". This is an example of the memory processing technique known as:
a. rehearsal b. chunking c. elaboration d. cued encoding
Psychologists define learning as
a. a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. b. a temporary change in behavior due to one's motivational state. c. behavioral changes as a result of maturation and development. d. the modification and replacement of old behaviors and habits with socially acceptable behaviors.