Naslov
Eyewitness identification accuracy

Autori
Sučić, Ines

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Criminology in the 21st Century: a Necessary Balance Between Freedom and Security - Book of Abstracts / Garitaonandia, Alberto S. - Bilbao : TISA Congresos S.L., 2012, 367-368

ISBN
978-84-695-4520-1

Skup
12th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology

Mjesto i datum
Bilbao, Španjolska, 12.09.2012. - 15.09.2012

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
eyewitness identification; line-up; accuracy; verbal vershadowing

Sažetak
Scientific studies have confirmed that eyewitness identification is often unreliable and inaccurate and that represents the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions. However, convictions are often based on eyewitness testimony and alleged indicators of eyewitness credibility such as accuracy and length of the description of the perpetrator’s appearance and eyewitness’ level of confidence in their accuracy. System variables (e.g. lineup construction and administration, instructions given to witnesses before identification procedure) are variables controllable by the criminal justice system which implementations have substantial impact on the level of misidentification. This research investigates if the verbal description of the perpetrator given before the identification procedure influences the accuracy of perpetrator identification. Specific aims were to investigate this effect under different description instructions given to respondents. Additional aims were to investigate the effect of perpetrator’ description on prospective and retrospective confidence in identification accuracy, response latency, and decision processes. Also, the degree in which prospective and retrospective levels of confidence, response latency, and decision processes predict identification accuracy was investigated. The research was conducted on the 506 university student in small groups. Results did not confirmed effect of verbal description on the identification accuracy. Neither accuracy of description, nor description of featural/ configural facial information had any effect on identification accuracy. Respondents who described perpetrator had longer response latency and reported using more elimination strategies than those in control group, but those two groups had the same level of confidence. Higher degrees of prospective and retrospective confidence, shorter response latency and automatic processes were positively correlated to identification accuracy. The significant predictors of identification accuracy were response latency and retrospective level of confidence. Based on the gained results recommendations for lineup procedure are given in order to reduce eyewitness misidentification.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA