Which factors can affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony?

Memory bias and stress levels during the event are significant factors that can affect the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Memory bias refers to the ways in which a person's recollection of events may be influenced or distorted by their perceptions, emotions, or previous experiences. For instance, an eyewitness may unconsciously alter their memories based on what they believe to have happened or what they were informed about the case afterward.

Stress plays a critical role as well. High-stress situations, such as witnessing a violent crime, can impair an individual’s ability to accurately process and recall details of the event. Stress can lead to tunnel vision, where the witness focuses on one aspect of the event while neglecting others, resulting in a less comprehensive and potentially unreliable account of what actually occurred.

In contrast, while the time of day the event occurred, the location of the witness, and the age of the eyewitness may have some influence on the context in which the testimony is given, they do not inherently compromise the reliability of the memory itself as directly and significantly as memory bias and stress do. Thus, the strongest ties to the reliability of eyewitness testimony are directly related to cognitive perception and emotional state during the event.