Selecting the Suspect: An Eye-Tracking Comparison of Viewing of Same-Race vs. Cross-Race Photographs in Eyewitness Identification

Abstract

An eye-tracking study was conducted to examine cross-race recognition deficit (CRRD) or own-race bias in cross-racial eyewitness identification. The eye-tracking data revealed differences between Anglo eyewitness viewing and African American eyewitness viewing of the same-race photo lineups. Variations in scan path complexity and sequential patterns suggest a “mixed strategy” for scanning the photographic lineups was more common than an “absolute” or “relative” strategy.