False Beliefs about Witness Memory in Professionals and Students of Social and Legal Sciences

Authors

Abstract

Police officers with and without experience, trainee judges at the Judicial School, and undergraduate students in Psychology, Law, and Criminology were assessed on some of the main topics regarding the psychology of testimony. The results showed an average percentage of correct answers close to chance, with few differences between the various evaluated groups. The findings indicate that false beliefs about the functioning of witness memory are common, factors influencing the accuracy of statements and identifications are unknown, and there is limited understanding of the testimony capacity of child and elderly witnesses. It is concluded that many beliefs about witness memory are false. A mixed training in Psychology, Law, and Police Sciences could promote a better understanding of witness memory functioning, allowing for the minimization of errors in testimony assessment.

Keywords

testimonial evidence assessment, witness memory, Psychology of Testimony, beliefs

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Bibliografía complementaria

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Legislación

Anteproyecto de Ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal (2020) https://www.mjusticia.gob.es/es/AreaTematica/ActividadLegislativa/Documents/210126%20ANTEPROYECTO%20LECRIM%202020%20INFORMACION%20PUBLICA%20%281%29.pdf

España. Ley 4/2015, de 27 de abril, del Estatuto de la víctima del delito. (BOE, núm. 101, 28/04/2015). https://www.boe.es/eli/es/l/2015/04/27/4/con

DOI

https://doi.org/10.33115/udg_bib/qf.i8.23029

Published

2024-10-25

How to Cite

Manzanero, A. L., Alanzavez, Álvaro, Ferrer Beltrán, J., & Vázquez, C. (2024). False Beliefs about Witness Memory in Professionals and Students of Social and Legal Sciences. Quaestio Facti. International Journal on Evidential Reasoning, (8). https://doi.org/10.33115/udg_bib/qf.i8.23029