Eyewitness Identification Confidence (From Adult Eyewitness Testimony: Current Trends and Developments, P 348-361, 1994, David Frank Ross, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-159543)

• NCJ Number: 159559
• Author(s): C A E Luus; G L Wells
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): SES-9022182
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Sale Source: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Eyewitnesses who claim to be very confident about their identifications probably believe the person they identified matches their memory of the suspect, but caution should be exercised in assuming these eyewitnesses are reliable, given the large number of studies indicating little relation between eyewitness confidence and accuracy.

Abstract

Statements of eyewitnesses indicating confidence in their identification may be only partly determined by how similar the identified person is to their memory of the suspect. Research suggests that, in many cases, statements of confidence may be derived from both social influences and individual differences across witnesses. These additional influences may sometimes overshadow similarities between the identified person and eyewitness memory of that person. This is problematic to the extent that these additional determinants of confidence are not related to eyewitness accuracy. The eyewitness identification problem is not a question of false identification per se but rather one of credible or persuasive false identification. Hence, the danger is that eyewitnesses who make false identifications may also firmly believe they have identified the suspect. The combination of false identification testimony with a confident belief in its validity creates the potential for miscarriage of justice. 31 references and 1 table