The relationship between age and perceived credibility was examined, particularly whether or not middle-aged witnesses were perceived as more credible than older eyewitnesses. Additionally, I was interested in whether or not the relationship between age and credibility was moderated by need for cognition. Participants read a trial transcript about a child pedestrian-car accident wherein a defendant was charged with manslaughter. The sole eyewitness, either a 49 or 79 year-old male, testified that the child hit his head on a rock upon stepping off the curb before being struck by the defendant’s vehicle. Transcripts included direct and cross-examination with half accompanied by the eyewitness’ photo. Participants rated witness credibility on nine dimensions including competence, honesty, and suggestibility, then rendered a verdict. Participants completed the Need for Cognition Scale and a questionnaire measuring attitudes towards punishment. There was a significant three-way interaction between age, information type, and need for cognition on perceived credibility ratings. Perceived credibility ratings were positively correlated with judgments of guilt. Results are discussed in terms of their implications within the criminal justice system.

Eyewitnesses are important for the outcome of many criminal cases. Sometimes other evidence is lacking and the testimony then becomes decisive, but it is difficult to know how reliable the eyewitness’ memories are. This study aimed to investigate speech rate as an indicator of memory accuracy. The hypothesis was that correct memories would be presented with a faster speech rate than incorrect memories. The participants (n = 10) were students who were part of a previous study by Lindholm et al. (2018). The students watched a film sequence and were interviewed afterwards about what they had seen. Their answers were recorded and the voice was analyzed digitally. A t-test for dependent samples showed that correct statements had significantly faster speech rate than incorrect ones. The results support the hypothesis and are in line with previous research on making asserted statements faster. Should future research show similar results, the method of digital voice analysis could be used as a complement in the judiciary to evaluate testimony. Understanding what acoustic indicators are on correct or incorrect memories could be helpful in assessing testimonies for judges, jurors, legal representatives and the police force. / Ögonvittnen är viktiga för utgången i många brottmål. Ibland saknas övrig bevisning och vittnesmålet blir då avgörande men det är svårt att veta hur pålitliga ögonvittnens minnen är. Denna studie syftade till att undersöka talhastighet som en indikator på korrekthet i minnen genom användning av digital röstanalys. Hypotesen var att talhastigheten vid korrekta minnen skulle vara snabbare än vid inkorrekta. Deltagarna (n = 10) var studenter som ingick i en tidigare experimentell studie av Lindholm et al. (2018). Studenterna fick se en film och intervjuades efteråt om vad de sett. Deras svar spelades in och rösten analyserades digitalt. Ett t-test för beroende mätningar visade att talhastigheten vid korrekta påståenden var signifikant snabbare än vid inkorrekta. Resultatet stödjer hypotesen samt ligger i linje med tidigare forskning kring att säkra påståenden sker snabbare. Skulle framtida forskning visa på liknande resultat skulle metoden med digital röstanalys kunna användas som ett komplement inom rättsväsendet som stöd vid vittnesmål. Förståelse för vilka akustiska indikatorer som finns på korrekta eller inkorrekta minnen skulle kunna vara hjälpsamma i vittnesförhör, både hos domare, nämndemän, juridiska ombud och hos polisen.

The research attempts to review the significance of personal description in the investigation of armed robbery cases in the Paarl policing cluster and to explore the value of identifying armed robbery suspects. The purposes of conducting this research were to evaluate the existing procedures that investigators use regarding personal description of armed robbery suspects with the intention of determining its strengths and weaknesses as well as by looking at how this procedure can be improved. Also, this research explored how investigators utilised the personal description as a technique in identifying the armed robbery suspects internationally, thereby establishing the best practices. Moreover, to recommend new procedures in obtaining a personal description of armed robbery suspects. Furthermore, to empower the South African investigators and other investigators in terms of how personal description can be recorded accurately in the case dockets and be effectively used in tracing the suspects of armed robbery cases. / Criminology and Security Science / M.A. (Criminal Justice)

The thesis targets at events which took place in the town of Prachatice and its surroundings at the end of the Second World War. It is based on written sources (filed in the State District Archives Prachatice), as well as on literature sources focusing on this topic and eyewitness memories. The first part presents a brief characterization of the town from geographical, social and economic point of view. The second chapter deals with events taking place in September 1938 when Prachatice was occupied by Nazi Germans. The third part shortly depicts the process of front war situations in Europe. The main part of the thesis consists of chapter 4 and 5 which present the way of living and events happening in the town from January 1945 to May 1945 when Prachatice was liberated by the US army. The thesis aims to connect general relations with events that happened in Prachatice and its surroundings not only to illustrate the topic from literature sources but also from people{\crq}s own memories. It tends to depict this period full of worries and hope. It is hoped to contribute to completion of the town history.

The Wechsler Memory Scale –iii is the newest version of a six-decade old neuropsychological inventory. Since its conception, the Wechsler Memory Scale has been highly utilized by practitioners to accurately assess various memory functions in adult subjects. Revisions made within this inventory include the Faces I subtest, a facial recognition scale, which was added in order to strengthen the instrument’s accuracy at measuring episodic memory. Facial recognition, both cross-race and within-race, has been researched extensively and consistent biases have been found between race of test taker and cross-racial identification. Theories of exposure/contextual interaction (environment) and biological foundations have been the subject of study in the past in order to determine from where these racial identification deficits stem. The current study focuses on revealing bias in the Faces I subtest, regarding to an unequal distribution of racially representative faces in the testing materials. Eighty-eight college students were recruited to view forty-eight pictured faces from the Faces I subtest and determine the racial category to which the pictured face belonged. The subjects’ categorical responses were the basis for calculating a percent agreement score for racial category of each face. It was determined, using the results of subjects’ responses, that the Faces I subtest contained an unequal distribution of racially representative faces in both the Target and Interference testing material. This confirmed the presence of an inherent bias within the subscale. The implications of memory accuracy for the WMS-iii are discussed as it relates to different fields of study, but none more directly than the criminal justice system. Eyewitness testimony is a pivotal evidentiary tool in the criminal justice system, and ramifications of cross-racial identification deficits and biases in the tools to accurately assess memory are increasingly bringing this once heavily relied upon tool into question.

No description available.

The desire to enhance and make ourselves better is not a new one and it has continued to intrigue throughout the ages. Individuals have continued to seek ways to improve and enhance their well-being for example through nutrition, physical exercise, education and so on. Crucial to this improvement of their well-being is improving their ability to remember. Hence, people interested in improving their well-being, are often interested in memory as well. The rationale being that memory is crucial to our well-being. The desire to improve one’s memory then is almost certainly as old as the desire to improve one’s well-being. Traditionally, people have used different means in an attempt to enhance their memories: for example in learning through storytelling, studying, and apprenticeship. In remembering through practices like mnemonics, repetition, singing, and drumming. In retaining, storing and consolidating memories through nutrition and stimulants like coffee to help keep awake; and by external aids like notepads and computers. In forgetting through rituals and rites. Recent scientific advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and information technologies, present a wide variety of technologies to enhance many different aspects of human functioning. Thus, some commentators have identified human enhancement as central and one of the most fascinating subject in bioethics in the last two decades. Within, this period, most of the commentators have addressed the Ethical, Social, Legal and Policy (ESLP) issues in human enhancements as a whole as opposed to specific enhancements. However, this is problematic and recently various commentators have found this to be deficient and called for a contextualized case-by-case analysis to human enhancements for example genetic enhancement, moral enhancement, and in my case memory enhancement (ME). The rationale being that the reasons for accepting/rejecting a particular enhancement vary depending on the enhancement itself. Given this enormous variation, moral and legal generalizations about all enhancement processes and technologies are unwise and they should instead be evaluated individually. Taking this as a point of departure, this research will focus specifically on making a case for ME and in doing so assessing the ESLP implications arising from ME. My analysis will draw on the already existing literature for and against enhancement, especially in part two of this thesis; but it will be novel in providing a much more in-depth analysis of ME. From this perspective, I will contribute to the ME debate through two reviews that address the question how we enhance the memory, and through four original papers discussed in part three of this thesis, where I examine and evaluate critically specific ESLP issues that arise with the use of ME. In the conclusion, I will amalgamate all my contribution to the ME debate and suggest the future direction for the ME debate.