Final answer:
An eyewitness's memory of an event can be altered by hearing or reading other witnesses' reports on the same event due to the misinformation effect. External sources of misinformation can lead to the creation of false memories, which can have implications in criminal investigations and court cases. Steps have been taken to minimize suggestibility in witness interviews and police lineups.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Psychology. Specifically, it is focusing on the concept of memory and how an eyewitness's memory of an event can be altered by hearing or reading other witnesses' reports on the same event. This phenomenon is known as the misinformation effect and has been extensively studied by researchers like Loftus and Palmer.
According to their studies, the use of leading questions can significantly influence an eyewitness's memory of an event. For example, by using different verbs like 'smashed,' 'collided,' 'bumped,' 'hit,' or 'contacted' to describe a car accident, participants in the study estimated different speeds of the cars involved.
This shows that external sources of misinformation can lead to the creation of false memories, which can have implications in criminal investigations and court cases. Steps have been taken to minimize suggestibility in witness interviews and police lineups, such as using neutral language and blind photo lineups.