NCJ Number
192462
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 25 Issue: 6 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 605-627
Date Published
December 2001
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study tested whether the presence of a racially distinct (Black) person affected witnesses' recollection and identification of surrounding white people.
Abstract
Experiments 1 (n=347) and 2 (n=286) addressed the central question of whether recognition accuracy for a white target was affected by the presence of a Black accomplice. Experiment 3 (n=184) tested whether general distinctiveness, rather than racial distinctiveness, led to recognition errors. Experiment 4 (n=139) examined whether factors beyond distinctiveness co-varied with recognition errors. Regarding eyewitness accuracy for an event, the researchers expected more errors for white targets accompanied by Black confederates (experimental condition) than by white confederates (control). A staged accident was witnessed by participants, followed by a lineup. In three experiments, identification accuracy decreased in the experimental conditions relative to the control conditions. Additional data suggested that attention focused on the Black confederate led to reduced recollection of the other confederates (white) at the event. This pattern did not generalize to a condition in which garish hair color was substituted for race. This suggests that racial distinctiveness rather than general physical distinctiveness results in reduced attention by witnesses to confederates of the majority race. 3 figures and 50 references