NCJ Number
102121
Journal
Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume: 16 Issue: 5 Dated: (1986) Pages: 387-409
Date Published
1986
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The confidence with which an eyewitness gives testimony about a crime is an important factor in mock jurors' perceptions of the credibility of the witness, particularly in relation to the witness description of the crime.
Abstract
Perceptions of the accuracy of the witness identification of the suspect appear to relate more closely to the witness expertise -- the ability to have seen what was claimed to have been seen. Study data came from three experiments in which mock jurors watched a black and white videotape of a simulated eyewitness giving testimony concerning the armed robbery of a convenience store where she worked. The first 2 experiments used a total of 214 college students; the third used 60 men and women evening students who had an average age of 26.2 years. Across the three studies, confidence accounted for 7 percent of the variance in perceived credibility. Confidence appeared to influence persuasion only when expertise was not relevant to the issue, however. Results indicate that the low correlation between eyewitness confidence and accuracy of testimony may lead to erroneous evaluations of eyewitness testimony. Data tables and 57 references.