Forensic Psychology: Eyewitness Evidence, Interviewing, and False Confessions
Published:
Reviewed by Bismith B · 11 Jun 2026
Questions
30
Duration
30 min
Faculty-reviewed
0
Updated
09 Jun 2026
About this mock
This test examines core concepts in the psychology of eyewitness evidence, investigative interviewing, and confession science. Questions probe the distinction between estimator and system variables in eyewitness identification, the principles of lineup construction and administration, and the mechanisms behind the misinformation effect first described by Elizabeth Loftus. The confidence-accuracy relationship and its forensic implications are tested through application scenarios. The Cognitive Interview protocol developed by Geiselman and Fisher is assessed in contrast to standard police interviewing. The Reid Technique's theoretical assumptions and documented criticisms are explored. Finally, the typology of false and coerced confessions, including voluntary, internalised, and compliant forms identified by Kassin and Wrightsman, is tested alongside the risk factors that make certain individuals vulnerable. Internationally recognised landmark studies and frameworks form the evidence base throughout. Practitioners, researchers, and advanced students working in legal psychology, criminal investigation, or forensic science policy will find this test a rigorous assessment of applied knowledge.
Sources & references
Questions in this mock are written and verified against the following sources. Citations are recorded per question and shown in the explanation after submission.
- cited in 5 questions
Kassin, S. M., et al., Police-Induced Confessions: Risk Factors and Recommendations (Law and Human Behavior, 2010)
Section on false evidence ploys and internalised confession risk
- cited in 3 questions
Wells, G. L., & Olson, E. A., Eyewitness Testimony (Annual Review of Psychology, 2003)
Section on system variable reforms: blind administration and post-identification feedback
- cited in 3 questions
Gudjonsson, G. H., The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions: A Handbook (Wiley, 2003)
Chapter on the GSS subscales, yield and shift
- cited in 2 questions
Fisher, R. P., & Geiselman, R. E., Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview (Charles C Thomas, 1992)
Chapter on the four retrieval mnemonics of the ECI
- cited in 2 questions
National Research Council, Identifying the Culprit: Assessing Eyewitness Identification (National Academies Press, 2014)
Chapter on recommended pre-lineup instructions
- cited in 1 question
Wells, G. L., Applied eyewitness-testimony research: System variables and estimator variables (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1978)
Original statement of the estimator versus system variable framework
- cited in 1 question
Kassin, S. M., & Wrightsman, L. S., Confession evidence, in The Psychology of Evidence and Trial Procedure (Sage, 1985)
Chapter section on the voluntary false confession definition and examples
- cited in 1 question
Steblay, N., Dysart, J., Fulero, S., & Lindsay, R. C. L., Eyewitness accuracy rates in police showup and lineup presentations: A meta-analytic comparison (Law and Human Behavior, 2003)
Meta-analysis comparing showup and lineup false identification rates
- cited in 1 question
Meissner, C. A., & Brigham, J. C., Thirty years of investigating the own-race bias in memory for faces (Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 2001)
Meta-analytic review, sections on hit rates and false alarm rates
- cited in 1 question
Koehnken, G., Milne, R., Memon, A., & Bull, R., The cognitive interview: A meta-analysis (Psychology, Crime and Law, 1999)
Overall meta-analytic results across studies
- cited in 1 question
Wells, G. L., & Bradfield, A. L., 'Good, you identified the suspect': Feedback to eyewitnesses distorts their reports of the witnessing experience (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1998)
Study 1, feedback manipulation and retrospective reports
- cited in 1 question
Milne, R., & Bull, R., Investigative Interviewing: Psychology and Practice (Wiley, 1999)
Chapter on the PEACE framework and its development
- cited in 1 question
Deffenbacher, K. A., et al., A meta-analytic review of the effects of high stress on eyewitness memory (Law and Human Behavior, 2004)
Meta-analytic results on stress, arousal, and identification accuracy
- cited in 1 question
Johnson, M. K., Hashtroudi, S., & Lindsay, D. S., Source monitoring (Psychological Bulletin, 1993)
Applications to eyewitness memory and post-event information
- cited in 1 question
Geiselman, R. E., Fisher, R. P., et al., Enhancement of eyewitness memory: An empirical evaluation of the cognitive interview (Journal of Police Science and Administration, 1984)
Theoretical rationale and original experimental design
- cited in 1 question
Loftus, E. F., Eyewitness Testimony (Harvard University Press, 1979)
Chapter on the reconstruction of automobile destruction
- cited in 1 question
Lindsay, R. C. L., & Wells, G. L., Improving eyewitness identifications from lineups: Simultaneous versus sequential lineup presentation (Journal of Applied Psychology, 1985)
Experiments 1 and 2, comparison of simultaneous and sequential conditions
- cited in 1 question
Wixted, J. T., & Wells, G. L., The relationship between eyewitness confidence and identification accuracy: A new synthesis (Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2017)
Section on calibration and initial confidence
- cited in 1 question
Kassin, S. M., & Wrightsman, L. S., Confession evidence, in S. M. Kassin & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), The Psychology of Evidence and Trial Procedure (Sage, 1985)
Chapter on the taxonomy of true and false confessions
- cited in 1 question
Loftus, E. F., Loftus, G. R., & Messo, J., Some facts about weapon focus (Law and Human Behavior, 1987)
Experiments 1 and 2, fixation patterns and face recognition
How our mocks are built
Questions are written and edited by the ForensicSpot team and cited from peer-reviewed forensic textbooks, official syllabi and primary case law. Each one is verified before publishing. Detailed explanations show after you submit, so the test stays a real test. See a mistake? Tell us.
Common questions
What does the Forensic Psychology: Eyewitness Evidence, Interviewing, and False Confessions mock cover?+
This test examines core concepts in the psychology of eyewitness evidence, investigative interviewing, and confession science. Questions probe the distinction between estimator and system variables in eyewitness identification, the principles of lineup construction and administration, and the mechanisms behind the misinformation effect first described by Elizabeth Loftus. The confidence-accuracy relationship and its forensic implications are tested through application scenarios. The Cognitive In
How many questions and how long is the test?+
30 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes total. Difficulty: medium. Tier: Premium.
Who is this mock for?+
Forensic science students and aspirants who want timed, exam-style practice with explanations and verified source citations on Forensic Psychology. Useful for postgraduate entrance preparation and for BSc / MSc forensic students testing their recall under time.
Are the questions reviewed?+
Each question carries a verified source citation. Faculty review for individual questions is in progress.
Do I need an account to take this mock?+
Yes, a free ForensicSpot account is required to start a timed attempt — this lets you save progress, see per-question explanations after submission, and track your topic-level performance over time.