Eyewitness Testimony

Overview

Eyewitness Testimony (EWT) is a critical area within cognitive psychology that examines the accuracy of memory for witnessed events, particularly in legal contexts. For the OCR GCSE, the focus is not on memory as a passive video recording, but on Reconstructive Memory, a theory pioneered by Sir Frederic Bartlett. Examiners expect candidates to understand that memory is an active process, shaped and distorted by our pre-existing mental frameworks, or schemas. This guide will cover the core theory of Reconstructive Memory, the key studies by Bartlett (1932) and Braun et al. (2002) that you must know, and the specific exam techniques required to achieve top marks. Understanding this topic is not just about learning facts; it's about appreciating the profound implications of memory's unreliability for justice and society.

The Theory: Bartlett's Reconstructive Memory

Schemas: The Brain's Filing Cabinets

What they are: Schemas are mental shortcuts or frameworks of knowledge and expectation, built up from all our past experiences. For example, you have a 'classroom' schema that tells you what to expect and how to behave in that environment (desks, a teacher, a whiteboard).

Why they matter for EWT: When we witness an event, we don't have time to process every single detail. Our schemas help us make sense of the situation quickly. However, when we later recall the event, our schemas can lead to errors by 'filling in the gaps' with what we expected to see, rather than what was actually there. This is not lying; it's an unconscious process of reconstruction.

The Three Processes of Distortion

Bartlett identified three key ways schemas distort memory. You MUST use these terms in your exam answers.

1. Omission: Details that are unfamiliar or do not fit with our schema are left out. The brain discards information it deems irrelevant or confusing.
2. Rationalisation: Unfamiliar or strange details are altered to make them more logical and consistent with our schemas. The memory is 'tidied up' to make more sense.
3. Transformation: Details are changed or reordered to fit our expectations. This can include exaggerating certain aspects or adding new information entirely.

Key Studies for OCR GCSE

Bartlett (1932) - 'War of the Ghosts'

What happened: Bartlett showed British participants a Native American folk story called 'War of the Ghosts', which was culturally unfamiliar to them. He then used serial reproduction (like a game of 'Chinese Whispers') where participants retold the story to each other from memory.

What he found: The story changed significantly with each retelling. It became shorter (omission), strange details were changed to be more conventional (e.g., 'canoes' became 'boats' - rationalisation), and the order of events was altered to fit a more standard story structure (transformation).

Why it matters: This was the first major study to provide evidence for Reconstructive Memory. It showed that memory is not a passive replay but an active reconstruction shaped by our cultural schemas.

Braun et al. (2002) - False Autobiographical Memories

What happened: Researchers showed participants misleading print advertisements for Disneyland which featured the Warner Bros. character Bugs Bunny (who would never be at a Disney park).

What they found: After viewing the ads, 16% of participants claimed they remembered meeting and shaking hands with Bugs Bunny on a past trip to Disneyland. They had created a vivid, but entirely false, autobiographical memory.

Why it matters: This study demonstrates the power of suggestion and how easily false memories can be implanted. It shows that our personal memories are malleable and can be influenced by external information, such as post-event discussions or media reports, which has huge implications for the reliability of EWT.