Learn Before
Example of Misattribution: The Case of Donald Thomson
A classic case of misattribution involves Australian eyewitness expert Donald Thomson. He was arrested and identified by a rape victim from a police lineup. The accusation was made despite Thomson having a solid alibi: at the time of the crime, he was on a live television program discussing the unreliability of eyewitness memory, in the company of an assistant police commissioner. Investigators later confirmed that the victim was attacked while watching the very program Thomson was on. She had misattributed her memory of Thomson's face from the television to the face of her rapist, leading to his wrongful accusation before he was eventually cleared.
0
1
Tags
Ch.8 Memory - Psychology @ OpenStax
Psychology @ OpenStax
Introduction to Psychology @ OpenStax Course
OpenStax
OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook
Psychology
Social Science
Empirical Science
Science
Related
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?
The Case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton
Suggestive Police Identification Procedures
Example of Misattribution: The Case of Donald Thomson