NCJ Number
213124
Journal
Legal and Criminological Psychology Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 3-23
Date Published
February 2006
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This literature review examines theories and empirical evidence that bear upon the usefulness to an investigation of an eyewitness's confidence in his/her ability to identify the person he/she saw commit a crime if he/she were to see that person again.
Abstract
The author concludes that research to date suggests that investigators and prosecutors should not base the strength of their cases on confidence levels of eyewitnesses due to the multiple factors that can influence these levels, other than the eyewitness's actual ability to make a correct identification. He also concludes that a high confidence level at the time of the initial identification is sufficiently related to accuracy that it can be useful in targeting the selected suspect for further investigation. Although research in this area is in its early stages, there is no clear evidence that an eyewitness's expression of his/her level of confidence in his/her ability to identify a suspect prior to being presented with a line-up or "mug shots" is related to accuracy of a choice when exposed to these identification procedures. On the other hand, when eyewitnesses express strong confidence that they have correctly picked from a line-up or mug shots the person they previously saw at the crime scene, research indicates that the confidence level is likely to be related to the accuracy of the choice. This is a variable finding, however, suggesting that a number of factors, other than the actual ability of the eyewitness to accurately identify the suspect, may influence the confidence level of the eyewitness. Research that has examined variations in eyewitness confidence levels between the initial identification and the trial show that various factors can influence whether confidence levels change and in which direction. 62 references