Anthony Baker testifies in court, under oath, that he saw Mateo rushing away from the store that was robbed. He explains that it was New Years, just a little after midnight. Anthony was walking home from a New Year's Eve party. He recognized Mateo as a fellow student in a class several years ago. When asked if he had any doubt about his identification, he said he was absolutely certain.

One of the textbook principles states: It is reasonable to accept the evidence provided by personal experience (one's own or someone else's) unless there is reason to doubt it. What are some considerations that might make us doubt Anthony's testimony? (More than one answer below may be correct.)

Group of answer choices

Anthony was relying on his memory of what Mateo looked like several years earlier. How can he be sure that his memory is reliable or that Mateo's appearance has not changed?

Anthony said he was walking home from a New Year's Eve party. We would need to determine how much alcohol, if any, he had consumed before we could trust his testimony.

If Anthony cannot tell us exactly how fast Mateo was running, then his whole testimony is dubious.

Anthony says it was after midnight so he may not have had sufficient light to see the person clearly.

Anthony admits that the person was running. It would be very difficult to see a running person clearly enough to correctly identify him.

Q&A Education