Logical Reasoning

PT115 · S4 · Q13 Nearly every criminal trial includes

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Nearly every criminal trial includes eyewitness testimony, and cognitive psychologists have hypothesized that misidentification by eyewitnesses is a common reason for mistaken convictions in criminal trials.

Hypothesis

Misidentification by eyewitnesses is a common reason for mistaken convictions in criminal trials.

Evaluate / Goal

There's no argument here, so there's nothing to think about. We just have to find four answers that make it seem like eyewitnesses commonly identify the wrong person as the culprit of a crime, leading to an eventual mistaken conviction.

13.

Each of the following, if true, supports the cognitive psychologists' hypothesis EXCEPT:

  1. Eyewitnesses’ reports are the most

    Supports

    This adds plausibility to the idea that if there were a mistaken eyewitness identification within a trial, it could have a big impact on whether or not that misidentified person gets convicted. Apparently, it's incredibly common for an eyewitness identification to be the major reason for conviction.

    8% picked this

  2. In most crimes, eyewitnesses have

    Supports

    This adds plausibility to the idea that there will be mistaken identifications. Eyewitnesses who see a crime usually don't see enough of the perpetrator's face to get a stable memory of that person.

    1% picked this

  3. The shock of witnessing a

    Supports

    This adds plausibility to the idea that there will be mistaken identifications. Eyewitnesses who see a crime are so shocked that it interferes with their ability to get a stable, accurate memory of that person's face..

    1% picked this

  4. Correct

    Judges often instruct juries about

    Why this is right

    This doesn't give any support for the idea that misidentification is common, nor does it help show that a bad identification could lead to a wrongful conviction. We might say this answer has Mixed Impact. The fact that judges often warn juries about the potential fallibility of the eyewitness identification supports the idea that mistaken identification is a common enough thing that judges know to talk about it. But ... the fact that judges warn against trusting that sort of testimony would make it less likely that mistaken eyewitness testimony would lead to a wrongful conviction. The jurors would be like, "The eyewitness did say that she saw Mr. X at the scene of the crime. But, we shouldn't convict based on that since the judge warned us that this eyewitness identification could be incorrect."

    Skill tested: Strengthen · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

    83% picked this

  5. Jurors are very likely to

    Supports

    This adds plausibility to the idea that mistaken identifications. could lead to mistaken convictions. When people are misidentifying, they are often very confident, which leads jurors to trust them (and thus believe them when deliberating on whether to convict).

    7% picked this

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