1. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Jennifer Beaudry, Lecturer (PSS)
Eyewitness Identification Memory
DataBlitz 1

2. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Overview
Background
Experiment: Impact of disguise
Future directions 2

3. Eyewitness Identification Memory
The Problem
306 DNA Exonerations
Since the inception of the Innocence Project in 1992, 306 people have been exonerated through DNA evidence (with the most recent exoneration occurring last week). Combined, these innocent men served over 4,000 years in jail (for an average sentence of 13.5 years), and 18 of them were on death row at the time of their exoneration. This number is really the tip of the iceberg for wrongful convictions in the US and worldwide because DNA evidence is only available for testing in 5-10% of criminal cases and, even when it is available, the courts may not grant post-conviction testing. [In 2003 Leonard Fraser was on trial for the murder of Natasha Ryan (along with the murder of three other women) when Ryan showed up alive and well.]
Innocence Project, 2013 3

4. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Common Causes of Wrongful Convictions
(First 225 cases)
77%
52%
23%
16%
Innocence Project, 2013 4

5. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Factors Influencing Eyewitness Identification Memory
System Variables
Lineup presentation
Lineup instructions
Lineup construction
Estimator Variables
Exposure duration
Age of witness
Disguise 5

6. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Stocking Disguise (N = 91)
None
1/3
2/3
Full
24 targets (6 per disguise level)
Lineups: Target-present vs. Target-absent
Mansour, Beaudry, et al. (2012) Law and Human Behavior. 6 6

8. Eyewitness Identification Memory
24-Trial Repeated Measures Design (N = 91)

9. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Toque & Sunglasses Disguise (N = 87)
None
Toque
Sunglasses
Toque & Sunglasses
24 targets (6 per disguise level)
Lineups: Target-present vs. Target-absent
Mansour, Beaudry, et al. (2012) Law and Human Behavior. 9 9

10. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Target-Present Lineups (Stocking) 10

11. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Target-Present Lineups (Toque & Sunglasses) 11

12. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Correct Identifications from Target-Present Lineups 12

13. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Future Directions
Disguise and…
Role of metacognitions?
Jurors’ perceptions? 13

14. Eyewitness Identification Memory
Acknowledgements:
Jamal Mansour, Michelle Bertrand, Natalie Kalmet, Elisabeth Melsom, Rod Lindsay
Finally, I’d like to acknowledge my co-authors and SSHRC who funded this project. # 14

15. Eyewitness Identification Memory
False Identifications from Target-Absent Lineups
Now let’s see what happens when the witness sees a lineup that does NOT contain the target.
Regardless of the type of disguise false identifications increase as disguise increases; this is not surprising given the increase of foil selections even when the target was in the lineup! 15