UNIT 3Posted: 7/19/2018Topic 1: Eyewitness Evidence: The Role of Perception andMemoryThere are two kinds of remembering that are of interest to the detective: recall andrecognition. Identify some common factors that can cause witness errors.Detectives are interested in twokinds of remembering they arerecall andrecognition. In recall a previous event (e.g., a crime) is described verbally—innarrative form, in aportrait parlé,or to a police artist. Inrecognitionthere isan awareness that something was seen previously; some aspect of an eventis remembered and selected from a group of similar items, persons, orphotographs. Based on the information provided in the text generally, aperson's ability with regard to recognition is better than it is for recall.(Osterburg & Ward, 2012)Two common errors that can cause witness errors are environmentalconditions and person factors.Environmental Conditions - A person's ability to observe an event is limitedby such factors as: the illumination of the scene, the distance of the observerfrom the scene, the noise level (if hearing is involved), and the weather (ifthe event occurred outdoors). If the evidence in a case depends largely oneyewitness testimony, it is desirable to verify whether environmentalconditions existing at the time permitted such observations. Basic to theprotection of the innocent, a verification can also deflect criticism by defense
