Example of Misattribution: Confusing Movie Partners

Example of Misattribution: The Case of Donald Thomson

Comparison of Suggestibility and Misattribution

An eyewitness to a convenience store robbery is interviewed by police. The witness confidently identifies a man from a photo lineup. However, it is later discovered that the man identified was a customer who had been in the store just minutes before the robbery and had a brief, friendly conversation with the witness. The actual robber was someone else entirely. Which of the following best explains this memory error?

A witness sees a man flee the scene of a minor robbery. Later that evening, they watch a news report about the incident which includes an interview with an uninvolved person who was near the scene. The next day, when asked to identify the robber from a lineup, the witness confidently picks the person they saw interviewed on the news, not the actual robber. Which of the following best explains this memory error?

Donald Thomson Case