ERIC Number: EJ734265
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Mar
Pages: 20
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1076-898X
EISSN: N/A
The Confidence-Accuracy Relationship in Eyewitness Identification: Effects of Lineup Instructions, Foil Similarity, and Target-Absent Base Rates
Brewer, Neil; Wells, Gary L.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, v12 n1 p11-30 Mar 2006
Discriminating accurate from mistaken eyewitness identifications is a major issue facing criminal justice systems. This study examined whether eyewitness confidence assists such decisions under a variety of conditions using a confidence-accuracy (CA) calibration approach. Participants (N = 1,200) viewed a simulated crime and attempted 2 separate identifications from 8-person target-present or target-absent lineups. Confidence and accuracy were calibrated for choosers (but not nonchoosers) for both targets under all conditions. Lower overconfidence was associated with higher diagnosticity, lower target-absent base rates, and shorter identification latencies. Although researchers agree that courtroom expressions of confidence are uninformative, our findings indicate that confidence assessments obtained immediately after a positive identification can provide a useful guide for investigators about the likely accuracy of an identification.
Descriptors: Identification, Crime, Self Esteem, Experimental Psychology, Court Litigation, Investigations, Criminal Law, Simulation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A