NCJ Number
42030
Date Published
1976
Length
210 pages
Annotation
THIS DISSERTATION REPORTS RESULTS OF THREE EXPERIMENTS DESIGNED TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF POLICE INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES ON WITNESSES' RECALL OF SUSPECTS' FACES.
Abstract
SPECIFICALLY, THE STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER POLICE QUESTIONS CONTAINING BIASING OR LEADING INFORMATION AFFECTS SUBJECT'S RECALL; WHETHER VERBAL DESCRIPTION OR DESCRIPTION TO AN ARTIST HURTS RECOGNITION MEMORY OF THE SUBJECTS; AND WHETHER THE KIND OF VERBAL JUDGEMENT WHICH A SUBJECT MAKES OF A FACE AFFECTS RECOGNITION MEMORY FOR THAT FACE. THE RESEARCH SHOWED THAT HUMAN RECOGNITION MEMORY FOR FACES IS QUITE POWERFUL AND POLICE CAN USE WITNESSES' RECOGNITION MEMORY AS EVIDENCE PROVIDED THAT AN INDEPENDENT ESTIMATE IS MADE OF BOTH THE SENSITIVITY AND BIAS OF THE WITNESS. HOWEVER, RECOGNITION MEMORY WAS SHOWN TO BE DETRIMENTALLY SENSITIVE TO VARIOUS MANIPULATIONS. BIASING INSTRUCTIONS, TOO INTENSIVE REHEARSAL OF THE SUSPECT'S APPEARANCE ACCOMPANIED BY VISUAL AND VERBAL FEEDBACK, OR TOO INTENSE CONCENTRATION ON UNINFORMATIVE DETAILS OF A SUSPECT'S FACE CAN DETRIMENTALLY AFFECT RECOGNITION MEMORY. HOWEVER, MERE VERBAL REHEARSAL IN ITSELF DOES NOT SEEM TO DETIMENTALLY AFFECT RECOGNITION MEMORY. FOR THIS REASON, THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT NON-LEADING, NON-BIASING INTERVIEWS WITH WITNESSES CAN BE HELD PRIOR TO STAGING A LINE-UP. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...DMC