Eyewitness recognition errors: the effects of mugshot viewing and choosing in young and old adults

Amina Memon, Lorraine Hope, J. Bartlett, R. Bull

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    81 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Eyewitness memory is vulnerable to information encountered prior to a lineup. Young (18-30 years) and older (60-80 years) witnesses viewed a crime video. Some witnesses were then exposed to mugshots of innocent suspects that included a critical foil. After a 48-h delay, all the witnesses took part in a target-absent lineup that included the critical foil and five new foils. Witnesses who picked one of the mugshots as the likely perpetrator showed inflated rates of choosing the critical foil from the lineup. Context reinstatement instructions did not reduce choices of innocent foils following mugshot exposure. Despite age-related increases in false choosing, age did not qualify other effects. The results are discussed in terms of commitment, source memory, and gist-based processing.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1219-1227
    Number of pages8
    JournalMemory & Cognition
    Volume30
    Issue number8
    Publication statusPublished - Dec 2002

    Keywords

    • fuzzy-trace theory
    • false recognition
    • face recognition
    • age-differences
    • identification
    • memory
    • fame
    • transference
    • framework
    • accuracy

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