Which of the following statements about eyewitness testimony is correct?

• A. Eyewitness testimony is never influenced by stress or leading questions.
• B. Eyewitness testimony can be unreliable because memory is susceptible to distortion and suggestion.
• C. Eyewitness memory is not affected by the passage of time.
• D. Eyewitnesses always accurately recall events as they happened.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the nature of eyewitness testimony in psychology. Eyewitness testimony refers to an individual's account of an event they have witnessed, which is often used as evidence in legal settings.
2. Step 2: Recognize that memory is not a perfect recording of events. Psychological research shows that memory can be influenced by various factors such as stress, leading questions, and the passage of time.
3. Step 3: Analyze each statement in the problem by comparing it to established psychological findings about memory and eyewitness testimony.
4. Step 4: Identify that statements claiming eyewitness testimony is never influenced by stress or leading questions, or that memory is unaffected by time, are incorrect because research demonstrates these factors do affect memory accuracy.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the correct statement is the one acknowledging that eyewitness testimony can be unreliable due to memory's susceptibility to distortion and suggestion, reflecting the consensus in psychological research.