首页
登录
职称英语
Western juries have traditionally found eyewitness testimony to be the most
Western juries have traditionally found eyewitness testimony to be the most
游客
2023-12-27
25
管理
问题
Western juries have traditionally found eyewitness testimony to be the most convincing evidence in criminal trials. Seeing is believing, as the saying goes. In numerous cases, when witnesses pointed to the defendant, his or her fate was sealed. But how reliable is eyewitness testimony? Recent cases have suggested that despite our best intentions, we may unwittingly distort what we perceive.
Artists and psychologists have long known that "seeing" is not a simple matter of recording visual input. People perceive the exterior world through a complex matrix of cultural expectations, personality traits, moods and life experiences. For example, researchers tested the cultural influence on perception by showing a set of optical illusions to various groups, and found that different groups responded in divergent ways. Accustomed to and inundated by perpendicular structures, Western Europeans succumbed easily to illusions based on rectangular lines. On the other hand, the Zulu people of South Africa, whose environment had been comprised almost entirely of circular forms (round houses, doors, etc.) did not fall prey to those linear illusions.
Cultural expectations also influence the selectivity of our seeing. The amount of visual information that exists far exceeds our ability to process it, so we must filter that sensory input into recognizable images. In looking at a face, we do not see elongated ovals set in complex shadows and shading, we see eyes. And that filtering process is informed by what we perceive to be significant, which is influenced by cultural norms. Some cultures may emphasize differences in hair color or texture, others the shape of a nose or mouth, others the set of the eyes.
But it is not only group expectations that color what we see, personality and mood fluctuation can also alter our perceptions. Orderly minds who shun ambiguity will see an off- center image as firmly fixed in the center. The same photograph of four young men allows for shifting interpretations based on our current feeling: a mood of happiness reveals boys enjoying a relaxing day, while anxiety changes the picture to students worrying about exams.
In addition, numerous more prosaic factors affect our ability to record an image accurately. Duration of the encounter, proximity to the subject, lighting, and angle all affect our ability to see, and even stress may further undermine the accuracy of our perceptions.
What will this mean for criminal trials? Juries have often been reluctant to convict without eyewitness identification. Blood samples, fingerprints, and the like do not resonate as deeply with juries as does direct testimony, and frequently require understanding of complex scientific technicalities. But as confidence in eyewitness testimony wanes, such circumstantial evidence may someday replace visual identification as the lynchpin of criminal trials. [br] Which of the following statements is true?
选项
A、Circumstantial evidence is superior to eyewitness testimony in the field of law.
B、Circumstantial evidence may someday replace visual identification in criminal trials.
C、Juries should be comprised of people of the same background.
D、Juries should regard visual identification as the lynchpin of criminal trials.
答案
B
解析
是非题型见最后一段最后一句,B为最佳答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3310994.html
相关试题推荐
CampaigningforvotesinthewesternprovinceofMaharashtrathismonth,Pri
Freudiantheoryindeedtookwestern20th-centurycivilizationbystorm.How
Freudiantheoryindeedtookwestern20th-centurycivilizationbystorm.How
Freudiantheoryindeedtookwestern20th-centurycivilizationbystorm.How
Freudiantheoryindeedtookwestern20th-centurycivilizationbystorm.How
HealthofficialsinwesternSiberiaaretobegininslaughterofthousandso
HealthofficialsinwesternSiberiaaretobegininslaughterofthousandso
HealthofficialsinwesternSiberiaaretobegininslaughterofthousandso
HealthofficialsinwesternSiberiaaretobegininslaughterofthousandso
HealthofficialsinwesternSiberiaaretobegininslaughterofthousandso
随机试题
TheUnitedStatesexportsalotmore【D6】________thanitimports.Theseproducts
理财moneymanagement
EnglishforSpecificPurposesESP:EnglishforSpecificPur
操作系统是裸机上的第一层软件,其他系统软件(如( )等)和应用软件都是建立在操
第一部全国统一的《道路交通标志和标线》(GB5768)颁布于1986年。
“客观事实表明,育人只有在教书的基础上才能做到,教师对所讲授的内容讲的越是清楚深
1.企业进入快速增长期不是企业进行企业文化建设的最佳启动期。()
简述学生的本质特征。
设备采购评审包括()。A.资格预审 B.综合评审 C.商务评审 D.
根据《民用爆炸物品安全管理条例》,购买民用爆炸物品的单位应当自民用爆炸物品买卖成
最新回复
(
0
)