Eyewitness Lineups: Identification from

Abstract

Abstract Mistaken eyewitness identification is the primary cause of the conviction of innocent people. Psychological scientists have accumulated considerable knowledge of the factors contributing to mistaken identification. Particular interest has been directed at police lineups. Lineups are sometimes in‐person (live lineups) but much more commonly are photographic lineups, composed of six to eight photos. Errors can occur with surprising frequency when the culprit is not in the lineup. The dominant explanation for this problem is that people tend to select the person who looks most like their memory of the culprit, even if none of the lineup members is the actual culprit. Hence, psychological scientists have made numerous recommendations such as warning eyewitnesses that the culprit might not be in the lineup, using lineup fillers who all fit the description of the culprit, and not conducting a lineup until there is reasonable evidence against the suspect. In addition, research shows that eyewitnesses will develop a false sense of certainty about their identification if the lineup administrator shows approval of their choice. Hence, psychological scientists recommend that lineups be conducted using double‐blind procedures and that a statement of witness certainty be collected immediately following any identification.