The Application of The Eyewitness Post-Identification Feedback Effect in a Learning Environment

Post identification feedback effect is known in courtrooms as one of the main causes of unreliability and malleability in eyewitness testimonies. When eyewitnesses are given nonconfirming but possibly misleading feedback, it can have an impact on the eyewitnesses confidence and likeliness to be correct or incorrect again. This research sought to examine if post identification feedback effect (PIFE) also occurs in a learning environment. Participants were split into three treatment groups, then each read the same earth-science passage and were asked to answer questions pertaining to the material. Depending on which treatment group a participant was in, they then received positive feedback, no feedback, or negative feedback, regardless of the correctness of their answers. It was hypothesized that students who received positive feedback would score their psychological needs higher than the other two groups. The participants then ranked their feelings of motivation and other psychological needs in their learning environment. Data was analyzed through central tendency and one-way ANOVA tests of each psychological ranking, and it was concluded that the data was not statistically significant, as the ANOVA null hypotheses failed to be rejected for every psychological need. Most participants rated their psychological needs at about a 3 or 4 on a 5-point Likert scale, regardless of which type of feedback they received. The hypothesis was not supported, and it was concluded that there was not a significant difference between the feedback groups and influence on student’s psychological needs