Unspringing the Witness Memory and Demeanor Trap: What Every Judge and Juror Needs to Know about Cognitive Psychology and Witness Credibility

The soul of America\u27s civil and criminal justice systems is the ability of jurors and judges to accurately determine the facts of a dispute. This invariably implicates the credibility of witnesses. In making credibility determinations, jurors and judges necessarily decide the accuracy of witnesses\u27 memories and the effect of the witnesses\u27 demeanor on their credibility. Almost all jurisdictions\u27 pattern jury instructions about witness credibility explain nothing about how a witness\u27s memories for events and conversations work-and how startlingly fallible memories actually are. They simply instruct the jurors to consider the witness\u27s memory with no additional guidance. Similarly, the same pattern jury instructions on demeanor seldom do more than ask jurors to speculate about a witness\u27s demeanor by instructing them to merely observe the manner of the witness while testifying. Yet, thousands of cognitive psychological studies have provided major insights into witness memory and demeanor. The resulting cognitive psychological principles that are now widely accepted as the gold standard about witness memory and demeanor are often contrary to what jurors intuitively, but wrongly, believe. Most jurors believe that memory works like a video camera that can perfectly recall the details of past events. Rather, memory is more like a Wikipedia page where you can go in and change it, but so can everyone else. Memories are so malleable, numerous, diverse, and innocuous that post-event information alters them, at times in very dramatic ways. Memories can be distorted, contaminated, and even, with modest cues, falsely imagined. For example, an extremely small universe of people have highly superior autobiographical memory ( HSAM ). They can recall past details (like the color of the shirt they were wearing on August 1, 1995)from memory almost as well as a video camera. HSAM individuals\u27 memories are not infallible, however. In one study, HSAM participantsfa lsely remembered seeing news film clips of United Flight 93 crashing in afield in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. No such film exists. Thus, no group that is free from memory distortions has ever been discovered. In one interesting study, students on a college campus were asked to either perform or imagine certain normal and bizarre actions: (1) check the Pepsi machine for change; and (2) propose marriage to the Pepsi machine. Two weeks later, the students were tested and demonstrated substantial imagination inflation leading to false recognition of whether they performed or imagined the actions. Few legal principles are more deeply embedded in American jurisprudence than the importance of demeanor evidence in deciding witness credibility. Historically, demeanor evidence is one of the premises for the need for live testimony, the rule against hearsay, and the right of confrontation under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Yet, cognitive psychological studies have consistently established that the typical cultural cues that jurors rely on, including averting eye contact, a furrowed brow, a trembling hand, and stammering speech, for example, have little or nothing to do with a witness\u27s truthfulness. Also, jurors all too often wrongly assume that there is a strong correlation between a witness\u27s confidence and the accuracy of that witness\u27s testimony. Studies have determined that jurors\u27perceptions of witness confidence are more important in determining credibility than the witness\u27s consistency or inconsistency. Another series of studies indicate that, in reality, demeanor evidence predicts witness truthfulness about as accurately as a coin flip. Once the fact-finder makes credibility determinations, it is nearly impossible to overturn those decisions on post-trial motions or appeal. The secrecy with which credibility determinations are made promotes the legitimacy of factfinding, but it also shrouds its countless failings. Despite years of overwhelming consensus among cognitive psychology scholars and numerous warnings from thoughtful members of the legal academy, judges have done virtually nothing to identify or to begin trying to solve this serious problem. The one exception is eyewitness identification of suspects in criminal cases, where several state supreme courts have relied heavily on cognitive psychological research to craft better science-based specialized jury instructions. This Article examines and analyzes the often amazing and illuminating cognitive psychological research on memory and demeanor. It concludes with a Proposed Model Plain English Witness Credibility Instruction that synthesizes and incorporates much of this remarkable research

Video Vortex reader : responses to Youtube

The Video Vortex Reader is the first collection of critical texts to deal with the rapidly emerging world of online video – from its explosive rise in 2005 with YouTube, to its future as a significant form of personal media. After years of talk about digital convergence and crossmedia platforms we now witness the merger of the Internet and television at a pace no-one predicted. These contributions from scholars, artists and curators evolved from the first two Video Vortex conferences in Brussels and Amsterdam in 2007 which focused on responses to YouTube, and address key issues around independent production and distribution of online video content. What does this new distribution platform mean for artists and activists? What are the alternatives

Enhancing the pronunciation of problematic English consonants for Spanish learners through intralingual dubbing activities

En esta tesis doctoral se proporciona un estudio sobre el potencial de las actividades de doblaje intralingüístico en la mejora de la pronunciación de fonemas consonánticos problemáticos del inglés para estudiantes españoles, junto con otras consideraciones adicionales, como el grado en que esos fonemas resultan problemáticos para los participantes de la investigación (n=71) y un análisis pormenorizado de sus puntos de vista y opiniones sobre la actividad de doblaje.Para ello, un Grupo Experimental (GE; n=37) y un Grupo Control (GC; n=34) se grabaron en diferentes fases del estudio (GE: fase pre-test, doblajes, y fase post-test; GC: pre-test y post-test) con el fin de obtener datos relevantes y útiles sobre su pronunciación. Todos los datos recopilados han sido analizados con el Statistical Package for Social Sciences, (SPSS; v.25), aplicando el test de Wilcoxon para comparaciones intragrupales, y el U-test de Mann-Whitney para las comparaciones entre grupos. Además, los participantes de la investigación completaron dos cuestionarios para obtener información adicional al respecto.Como conclusión, la pronunciación general del GE mejoró significativamente en la mayoría de los fonemas consonánticos problemáticos durante y después de realizar las actividades de doblaje, mientras que el GC no mostró ninguna mejora significativa en su pronunciación. Además, la mayoría de los participantes del GE mostraron opiniones muy positivas hacia la actividad de doblaje, destacando su valor motivador e innovador en el aprendizaje de lenguas, así como su utilidad para mejorar las habilidades orales.<br /

Patterns of Discrimination: On Photographic Portraits as Documents of Truth in Automated Facial Recognition

Denne avhandlingen tar for seg fotografiers rolle i treningen av ansiktsgjenkjenningsalgoritmer, samt i selve den tekniske prosessen hvor ansikter analyseres. Gjennom en lesning av tre ulike kunstprosjekter som på ulike måter anvender eksisterende ansiktsgjenkjenningsteknologi til å problematisere denne praksisen, etablerer jeg hvordan ulike fordommer – særlig hva angår fotografiets status som objektiv representasjon av verden – påvirker systemenes evne til å analysere ansikter. De aktuelle prosjektene er ImageNet Roulette (2019) av Trevor Paglen og AI-forsker Kate Crawford, How do you see me? (2019) av Heather Dewey-Hagborg, og Spirit is a Bone (2013-15) av kunstner-duoen Broomberg &amp; Chanarin. Problemstillingen som oppgaven forsøker å besvare er som følger: hva kan disse kunstprosjektene fortelle publikum om ansiktsgjenkjenningsteknologi som praksis, og hvilken rolle spiller digitalt fotografi som slike systemers bindeledd til den analoge verden «utenfor» dem selv? Som svar på dette tar avhandlingen for seg selve den tekniske arkitekturen og hvordan den legger føringer for ansiktsgjenkjenningssystemers operasjoner alt i designprosessen. I tillegg diskuteres ansiktsgjenkjenning fra et historisk perspektiv, hvor forsøk på å knytte juridisk identitet til kroppen gjennom fotografi spores helt tilbake til mediets oppfinnelse på 1800-tallet.Kunsthistorie mastergradsoppgaveKUN350MAHF-KU

Impaired Driving Defense 101 March 26, 2021

Meeting proceedings of a seminar by the same name, held March 26, 2021

Haute games : innovative self and self-identity blendings

This thesis introduces the original idea that it is possible, and productive, to consider the ‘blending’ of (or deliberate creative combining of methods from) the fields of fine art practice and science practice, using selected empirical research methods to investigate constructions of self and self-identity that emerge between disciplines. In particular, the thesis investigates how the scientific aspects of modern computer games, for instance, can be seen to affect emotional responses from viewers and how those responses are, in turn, affected by the ‘blending’ of aesthetic concerns with consideration of alternative cognitive processes that induce relaxation to connect with participant-players’ self-identities. This process created a method to access cognitive processes, hitherto unexplored by computer-game developers. This research locates its arguments primarily in and between the disciplines, Art and Game Studies and supports the findings with examples taken from art practice and with theories of Psychology and Gaming. This thesis documents the creation of the author’s original hybrid ‘art- work-game’, known as ‘Star World’. It describes the process of ‘Star World’s’ creation, with analysis of the efficacy of this environment as a space where the mapping of narrative, and where perceptual and interactive ‘blendings’ of self and self-identity were employed and tested, with both qualitative and empirical studies of the experiences and perceptions of participant-players. The research focuses on how the distinctive abstract environment, ‘Star World’, affords and facilitates personal expression and interaction for computer-game players. It reveals specific cognitive processes undergone by participant-players; evidence that supports and validates the conjecture that participant-players use personal frames of reference when navigating, exploring and interpreting computer games. Teach-back protocols and their impact are shown to improve the interactivity and immersive potential of the environment. Overall, this thesis classifies ‘haute game’ rules that are formulated to identify virtual environments creating unique, alternative ‘blendings’ with participant-players and assembles a framework for developers to pursue, when producing original computer-game genres. It offers an innovative case study of value to future scholars of Game Studies, as well as to game developers, with cautionary examples provided to assist in dealing with situations where emotional states are accessed by game play. This thesis highlights the potential of interactive art and game design to produce beneficial outcomes for its participant-players, moreover, it demonstrates, with empirical evidence, the effect of the virtual environment on its participant-players.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Mediated rhythms of bodies in coordination: design of communication technology for connectedness

Due to social distancing restrictions caused by COVID-19, people worldwide have relied on communication technology for staying connected with their loved ones. Despite many benefits, these technologies are inadequate substitutes for the feeling of connectedness that is experienced during face-to-face interaction. In this thesis, informed by enactivism and embodiment theory, I argue that to design for connectedness we must stop reducing human communication to the information-transmission paradigm used in computer-mediated communication (CMC). While the notion of embodiment has been widely accepted by human-computer interaction (HCI) practitioners, the idea that human communication takes place through sending/receiving and encoding/decoding information has not yet been explicitly challenged. I have designed Undula, an experimental interface to explore the communicative potential of physical movement, in this case the movement afforded by a rocking chair (teaser available at https://vimeo.com/365451168). The interface consists of two large-scale custom-made rocking chairs. The rocking movement of each chair is sonified, allowing a pair of participants to communicate over distance via a co-created rhythmic soundscape. The interface was tested and evaluated in controlled environments over three stages in both immediate (same room) and distant (separate rooms) settings. This practice-based design exploration contributes to knowledge in several ways: - It focuses on the ethereal concept of mediated connectedness, which has not previously been explicitly defined within HCI research. - It proposes a conceptual shift from communication technology for information processing to communication technology for dynamic embodied expression. In doing it compares the conceptual understanding of these two schemes as situated respectively within the 2nd (interaction as information exchange) and 3rd (phenomenologically situated and embodied interactions) HCI paradigms. - It discusses design approaches for facilitating intersubjective dynamic interactions and affective engagements through movement coordination; these are not instructed or gamified but are implicitly facilitated through the interface design of a rocking chair device. - It updates previous studies by testing whether bidirectional coordinated movement can facilitate mutual feelings of connectedness between pairs of people over distance, without visual feedback or other external stimuli to aid synchronisation