Pryke, Lindsay, Dysart, and Dupuis (2004) investigated a novel method of lineup administration where participants made identifications from multiple lineups showing faces and bodies or playing recorded voices. Identifications from these multiple lineups was diagnostic of guilt; that is, the more lineups a person was selected from the more likely it was that the selected person was actually seen by the witness (as opposed to an innocent suspect; Pryke et al., 2004). The current studies expanded on this procedure and assessed how well the multiple lineup method works when each of the lineups for a target show faces of the same lineup members, with each lineup showing the members facing one of three angles. In Experiment 1, participants (n = 72) saw the targets in the same three views that were shown in the lineups and were asked to make lineup decisions for each of the three lineups. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 96) saw the targets in only one view, which did not always match the views seen in the lineups. Again, participants made lineup decisions for each of the three lineups. For both studies, when the data were collapsed across targets, the procedure was diagnostic in that more selections were associated with a higher probability of guilt (operationalized as being the previously seen target). However, the effectiveness of the procedure varied across targets such that in some cases multiple selections were no more diagnostic of guilt than single selections. Pryke et al., (2004) reported that multiple identifications were highly diagnostic of guilt but relatively rare. In the current studies, most participants made multiple identifications of the targets, probably because all of the lineups used photos of faces. Results for assessments of confidence-accuracy and advantages for certain lineup angles were generally mixed and often differed between the two studies. In all, the most pertinent assessments of utility (diagnosticity and percentage of participants making multiple identifications) showed promise for using multiple lineups of faces. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-01 16:22:03.154

The present study examined the effect of introspection and verbalization on the confidence-accuracy correlation. Recent research has likened the process of eyewitness confidence assessment to a process of attitude formation. Following this analogy, it was hypothesized that introspection would strengthen, while verbalization would weaken, the confidence-accuracy correlation. Participants viewed a mock crime, made a lineup identification and either introspected or verbalized reasons for their identification (or did neither) before assessing their confidence. Results revealed that while introspection failed to significantly improve the confidence-accuracy correlation, verbalization decreased the correlation. These findings provide further theoretical support for the conceptualization of eyewitness confidence formation as analogous to attitude formation. In addition, these findings suggest that there are other mechanisms that can have a detrimental influence on the confidence-accuracy correlation. On the basis of these findings it is recommended that eyewitnesses refrain from verbalizing information about their lineup identification prior to providing their confidence.

Understanding eyewitness lineup judgment processes is critical, both from a theoretical standpoint (to better understand human memory) and from a practical one (to prevent wrongful convictions and criminals walking free). Currently, two influential theories attempt to explain lineup decision making: the theory of eyewitness judgment strategies (Lindsay & Wells, 1985), and the signal detection theory-informed diagnostic-feature-detection hypothesis (Wixted & Mickes, 2014). The theory of eyewitness judgment strategies posits that eyewitnesses can adopt either an absolute judgment strategy (base identification decisions only on their memory for the culprit) or a relative judgment strategy (base identification decision on lineup member comparisons). This theory further predicts that relative judgment strategies lead to an increase in false identifications. Contrast this with the diagnostic-feature-detection hypothesis, which predicts that the lineup member comparisons inherent to relative strategies promote greater accuracy. These two theories have been tested indirectly (i.e., via lineup format manipulations tangentially related to the theory), but there is a lack of direct tests. Across two experiments (Ns = 192, 584), we presented participants with simulated crime videos and corresponding lineups, and manipulated judgment strategy using explicit absolute and relative strategy instructions and a novel rank-order manipulation meant to encourage lineup member comparisons. We found no substantial differences in identifications or overall accuracy as a function of instructed strategy. These results are inconsistent with the theory of eyewitness judgment strategies but provide some support for the diagnostic-feature-detection hypothesis. We discuss implications for both theories and future lineup research. / Graduate

Members of the legal system (e.g., experts, jurors, investigators) are often skeptical of the information provided by intoxicated witnesses given the negative stigma surrounding alcohol and memory. However, studies examining the relationship between alcohol and witness memory often find that alcohol has no effect on peoples’ recall or their ability to identify a previously seen face. While insightful, the validity of these findings has been questioned given the low-moderate blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels tested in these predominantly laboratory-based studies, which may not be high enough to consistently expose the cognitive deficits alcohol is expected to create. The present study examined how elevated BAC levels affect witnesses’ recall. In addition, it examined how identification format (i.e., showup versus lineup) impacts witnesses’ identification decisions at elevated BAC levels. Bar patrons (N = 132) were asked to participate in a study examining the effects of alcohol on cognitive and motor functioning. Consenting patrons’ BAC levels were recorded and they were given instructions for their first motor task. Midway through this task a confederate intruder entered the room and caused a disturbance. Participants were then asked to recall the intrusion via a mock interview and identify the intruder from a lineup or showup in which she was pictured (target-present) or was not pictured (target-absent). This procedure yielded participants with BAC levels as high as .24%. Linear regressions showed that elevated BAC levels reduced both the quantity and quality of information provided by participants. Logistic regressions showed that alcohol had no effect on identification decisions, regardless of identification format or target presence. These data highlight the importance of testing witnesses’ memory across a broad BAC spectrum and suggest that the legal system may benefit from expert information on alcohol’s lack of effect on memory for faces, despite what jurors may believe.

The field of eyewitness memory has long been concerned with identifications but functioned in the absence of an explanatory theory. Recently Charman and Wells (2007) developed applied lineup theory to address this deficiency. They argue that quality of memory and the decision process interact to determine lineup decision accuracy. In a series of experiments I tested whether their theoretical assumptions hold for face recognition tasks and tested the theory using simple manipulations with lineups. Experiments 1 through 7 utilized a face recognition paradigm. In Experiments 1 through 5, the relationship between quality of memory and face recognition accuracy was explored as a function of frequency of viewing, duration of viewing, and depth of processing. The results indicated that, as expected, increased frequency of viewing and deeper processing of faces at encoding led to better recognition memory. Unexpectedly, increasing the duration of viewing did not increase recognition memory. In the remaining experiments (Experiments 6 to 9) I manipulated the decision process by manipulating the match between a face image shown at encoding and retrieval and how quickly participants were able to respond. The results of Experiments 6 and 7 only weakly supported applied lineup theory. In Experiments 8 and 9 I used a lineup paradigm and again found little support for applied lineup theory. Notably, the manipulations of decision process were relatively unsuccessful in Experiments 6 to 9. The stimulus manipulations used may not have been sufficient to produce differences in the decision process or applied lineup theory may not account for lineup decisions. Suggestions for future research on lineup decision processes to clarify whether applied lineup theory can account for lineup decisions are made. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2010-09-18 16:10:43.637

The present study examines the relationships between recognition and recall accuracy of faces, and recognition and recall accuracy of objects. Secondly, this study examines the influence of weapon presence on description and identification accuracy, and whether encoding time moderates the effect. 713 participants watched an image that was either displayed for five seconds or twenty seconds, and either included a weapon or no weapon. Subsequently, they were asked to give descriptions of what they saw before viewing a lineup that either included the perpetrator or was made up of innocent suspects. Results indicated that witnesses’ description accuracy of the crime scene had little or no predictive abilities with regards to their facial identification accuracy. Secondly, there was a weapon focus effect found for faces but not for objects. Furthermore, this effect was eliminated at long encoding times. Finally, increasing encoding time improved recognition of objects, but not faces. Results suggest that prior inaccuracy on one aspect of testimony is not necessarily indicative of subsequent inaccuracy on another aspect of testimony. This finding has implications for how jurors and judges should evaluate witness testimony when assessing credibility in the courtroom.

Prior work has demonstrated that the sequential presentation of lineup members in eyewitness lineups can result in undesirable position effects. For example, some studies have shown that placing the suspect in later positions increases discriminability. However, the evidence for this late-position discriminability advantage is mixed and the processes by which the discriminability increase occurs are unclear. However, one theory in particular, diagnostic feature detection theory (DFDT) explicitly predicts a late-position discriminability increase. According to DFDT, because shared features across lineup members cannot be used as reliable recognition cues to guide identification, discounting these features from consideration improves recognition. In sequential lineups, when the suspect is in a later position, witnesses are exposed to more of these shared features and are expected to benefit from discounting. By contrast, when the suspect is in an earlier position, witnesses are exposed to fewer shared features, and hence do not have the same advantage under the assumptions of the DFDT framework. One reason for the mixed evidence across the literature might be due to variation in suspect-filler similarity relationship between lineup members across studies, which we expected would moderate late-position memory effects. With the above in mind, the primary goals of the present work were: (1) testing for position effects at different levels of suspect-filler (SF) similarity, which might help elucidate conflicting evidence from prior work, and (2) testing DFDT mechanisms by simultaneously manipulating both innocent-suspect-perpetrator (IS-P) similarity and SF similarity. We found no evidence for late-position increases in discriminability as predicted by DFDT; however, participants were more conservative in later positions, especially when SF similarity was low. Discriminability was most strongly influenced by IS-P similarity, and was maximized when both SF and IS-P similarity was low. Implications for theories of eyewitness memory, practical implications for policy recommendations, and future directions are discussed.

The research attempts to review the significance of personal description in the investigation of armed robbery cases in the Paarl policing cluster and to explore the value of identifying armed robbery suspects. The purposes of conducting this research were to evaluate the existing procedures that investigators use regarding personal description of armed robbery suspects with the intention of determining its strengths and weaknesses as well as by looking at how this procedure can be improved. Also, this research explored how investigators utilised the personal description as a technique in identifying the armed robbery suspects internationally, thereby establishing the best practices. Moreover, to recommend new procedures in obtaining a personal description of armed robbery suspects. Furthermore, to empower the South African investigators and other investigators in terms of how personal description can be recorded accurately in the case dockets and be effectively used in tracing the suspects of armed robbery cases. / Criminology and Security Science / M.A. (Criminal Justice)