The methods of professionals in eliciting remembering of a crime scene or traffic accident
Date Issued
August 1, 1980
Author(s)
Gordon, Alice
Advisor(s)
William S. Verplanck
Additional Advisor(s)
Van de Vate
Morgan
Milton
Abstract
Eighteen professionals involved with investigation of traffic accidents or crime scenes (traffic investigators, detectives, insurance investigators, lawyers, judges, and newspaper reporters) were interviewed concerning their methods of obtaining recall of an incident A method of analysis including reliability measures was devised, for the statements from these open-ended interviews. From the taxonomy an outline of important factors in recall was obtained. These indicated the importance of setting operations and the behavior set or mood of the respondent, especially prior to direct probing. The importance of effective probing was indicated. Finally, the emphasis of a psychology of eyewitness testimony in the courtroom presentation of a case, rather than in the initial investigations, is questioned. These findings differ in emphasis from research in the psychology of eyewitness testimony. The emphasis is on the situation of recall rather than internal mechanical correlates. The results were found to fit the interbehavioral framework. This framework is presented as an alternative descriptive scheme to information processing and associationist theoretical approaches.
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Major
Psychology
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Thesis80b.G673.pdf
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7.6 MB
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