Examining the role of personality in susceptibility to leading questions relating to eyewitness testimony
Authors
Quinn, Finian
Issue Date
2006
Degree
BA in Psychology
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of misleading information on eyewitness testimony in adolescent males and to examine the relationship between psychoticism, extrovertism and neuroticism and those students that gave answers consistent with being misled. 61 participants were divided randomly into two groups, 30 in the control group and 31 in the experimental group. Both groups were asked to watch a film clip and answer questions relating to the film clip shown. All participants completed the EPQ-R to assess personality. The experiment employed an independent measures design. The independent variable was the questions asked after the film clip was shown. The dependent variable was the number of correct and incorrect answers given to the questions. Results highlighted that for the misleading questions asked there was a significant number of participants lead. Results calculated for the relationship between personality and misled participants were not found to be significant. The current study accepts the first hypotheses that leading questions will influence a significant number of participant's eyewitness testimony. However the current study accepts the null hypotheses in relation to correlations between personality type and participants that were misled.