The Case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton
The case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton is a landmark example of wrongful conviction driven by eyewitness misidentification. During the initial police identification, Thompson was uncertain, stating she thought Cotton was the perpetrator and that he 'looks most like him.' However, by the time of the trial, this uncertainty had transformed into absolute conviction, heavily influenced by suggestive police procedures. Her compelling testimony led to Cotton's conviction and a sentence of life plus 50 years. Despite a second trial resulting in two life sentences, Cotton was exonerated 11 years later when DNA evidence definitively proved his innocence, showing he had served more than a decade for a crime he did not commit.
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The Case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton
Suggestive Police Identification Procedures
Example of Misattribution: The Case of Donald Thomson
The Case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton
An eyewitness to a robbery is shown a police lineup. After some hesitation, she points to a person and says, 'I think that's him.' The detective administering the lineup responds, 'Excellent. You identified our main suspect.' When the eyewitness is later called to testify in court, she states with absolute certainty that the person she identified is the robber. Which psychological principle best explains the significant increase in her confidence?
An eyewitness to a robbery is shown a lineup of six photographs. After some hesitation, the witness points to photo #4 and says, 'I think that's him.' The detective administering the lineup responds, 'Excellent. You identified our main suspect.' Months later, during the trial, the same eyewitness testifies with 100% certainty that the person in photo #4 was the robber. Which of the following provides the best psychological analysis of the eyewitness's change in confidence?
False Memories
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Suggestion as a Cause of False Memories
The Case of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton
Modified Questioning Techniques for Witnesses
Comparison of Suggestibility and Misattribution
Eyewitness Memory Analysis
Eyewitness Memory Distortion
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