Julian and Clara recently witnessed an evening burglary at a prestigious municipal art gallery. The intruder grabbed a historic, gold-plated ceremonial dagger from a display case to threaten the gallery staff. Julian was interviewed by the police the following morning. He gave an extremely detailed description of the dagger, including its ornate hilt and ruby engravings, but was unable to identify the intruder from a photographic lineup.
Twelve days after the event, Clara, who is an avid fan of modern espionage thrillers, gave her statement to the police. She successfully identified the suspect from the lineup but was absolutely certain that the intruder was holding a silenced black pistol. Before giving her statement, Clara had sat with a gallery security guard in the staff room, and they had extensively discussed how "dangerous it was with that firearm."
Evaluate factors influencing the eye-witness testimony given by Julian and Clara. You must make reference to the context in your answer.
120 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Biological explanations of crime, Social explanations of crime, Cognitive and ethical interview techniques, Psychological formulation of offending, Cognitive-behavioural treatment for offenders, Biological treatment for offenders, Factors influencing eye-witness testimony, Factors influencing jury decision-making, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.