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Urreta Benítez FA, Leon CS, Bonilla M, Flores-Kanter PE, Forcato C. Identification Performance During Quarantine by COVID-19 Pandemic: Influence of Emotional Variables and Sleep Quality. Front Psychol 2021; 12:691583. [PMID: 34721142 PMCID: PMC8554020 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.691583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in people's lives around the globe. Sleep habits and emotional balance have been disturbed in a way that could be comparable to the havoc caused by a deep personal crisis or a traumatic experience. This unfortunate situation provides a unique context in which to study the impact of these imbalances on cognitive processes. In particular, the field of eyewitness science could benefit from these conditions, since they are also often present in crime victims, but can only be generated in the laboratory up to a certain ethical and practical limit. For several decades, eyewitness studies have tried to discover what variables affect people's ability to properly recognize faces. However, the disparity of experimental designs and the limitations of laboratory work could be contributing to the lack of consensus around several factors, such as sleep, anxiety, and depression. Therefore, the possibility of observing the influence of these agents in natural contexts could shed light on this discussion. Here, we perform simple and repeated lineups with witnesses of mock-crime, considering the conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which to some extent allow emulating the deterioration in general well-being that often afflicts crime victims. For this, 72 participants completed symptomatology scales, and watched a video portraying a staged violent episode. Subsequently, they gave testimony and participated in two lineups, in which we manipulated the presence/absence of the perpetrator, to recreate critical scenarios for the appearance of false recognitions. We found an increase in recognition errors in those individuals who did not have access to the perpetrator during the Initial lineup. Additionally, the conditions of the pandemic appear to have adversely affected the ability to witness and accurately perform lineups. These results reaffirm the need to move toward the standardization of research practices and methods for assessing testimonial evidence, especially in relation to the results of the lineups. Considering the degree of fallibility of these processes can lead to a reduction of wrongful convictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Facundo A. Urreta Benítez
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Innocence Project Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Candela S. Leon
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Innocence Project Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matías Bonilla
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Innocence Project Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Ezequiel Flores-Kanter
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Forcato
- Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Suspect Bias: A Neglected Threat to the Reliability of Eyewitness Identification Evidence. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Kleider-Offutt HM, Stevens BB, Capodanno M. He did it! Or did I just see him on Twitter? Social media influence on eyewitness identification. Memory 2021; 30:493-504. [PMID: 34278955 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1953080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Eyewitness identification is fallible, and suggestive post-event information is known to facilitate error; however, whether social media valence affects identification decisions is unknown. After viewing crime videos of various race perpetrators, participants saw post-event Twitter photos of the perpetrator or a foil that varied in valence. Participants attempted identification from a lineup including both individuals and rated the confidence and source (i.e., video, Twitter) of their selection. Results showed that Twitter photos of the perpetrator increased the likelihood of accurate identification and related confidence, whereas seeing the foil reduced the likelihood of a correct identification and related confidence. Remembering the perpetrator from the crime influenced correct identification, while remembering other incorrect sources (e.g., Twitter) only lead to misidentification. Twitter valence and perpetrator race did not impact outcomes. Results suggest that difficulty in identifying a perpetrator is underpinned by source monitoring confusion which is exacerbated by viewing social media that includes innocent suspects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Beth B Stevens
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Megan Capodanno
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Lin W, Strube MJ, Roediger HL. The effects of repeated lineups and delay on eyewitness identification. COGNITIVE RESEARCH-PRINCIPLES AND IMPLICATIONS 2019; 4:16. [PMID: 31197495 PMCID: PMC6565795 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-019-0168-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
A significant problem in eyewitness identification occurs when witnesses view a suspect in one venue such as a mugshot and then later in a lineup where the suspect is the only previously viewed person. Prior research has documented that the witness may select the suspect from the lineup due either to misplaced familiarity from seeing the mugshot or to their prior commitment from identifying the suspect from the mugshot. Two experiments attempted to minimize these biases by using repeated identical lineups, such that both targets and fillers were repeated, to determine if such a procedure could be useful. Across two experiments, we also varied the delay between seeing the event and the first lineup, as well as the delay between lineups. Despite the use of identical lineups, we continued to observe the effects of commitment and misplaced familiarity, so our procedure did not remove these problems. In addition, we also found that both repeated lineups and increasing delays can influence people's tendency to choose and their willingness to maintain their decisions, regardless of accuracy. Most importantly, however, despite the negative effects of repeated lineups and the relatively long delays used in our experiments, we obtained strong relations between confidence and accuracy when using confidence-accuracy characteristic plots. High confidence responses were associated with high accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Lin
- Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA.
| | - Michael J Strube
- Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA
| | - Henry L Roediger
- Washington University in St. Louis, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA
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Identification performance from multiple lineups: Should eyewitnesses who pick fillers be burned? JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Feelings of familiarity and false memory for specific associations resulting from mugshot exposure. Mem Cognit 2017; 45:93-104. [PMID: 27473580 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-016-0642-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This research reveals that mugshot viewing accompanied by questions about an action can cause young adults to associate the pictured person and the queried action, leading to later false recollection of having seen that person perform that action. In contrast, mugshot viewing in older adults can lead to vague feelings of familiarity for the pictured person, encouraging older adults to later falsely recognize the pictured person performing any familiar action. Participants viewed events involving actors performing different actions and then were asked verbal questions about which actor had performed each action, with each question accompanied by mugshots of potential "perpetrators" of the action. In a later recognition test, older adults were more likely to falsely recognize a novel conjunction of a familiar actor and action if they had seen a mugshot of that actor, regardless of whether the mugshot had accompanied a question about that action. In contrast, young adults were more likely to falsely recognize a conjunction event only if it involved an actor whose mugshot had accompanied a question about that particular action. This effect remained when the analysis was limited to trials involving actors whose mugshots had not been previously selected, implicating false recollection rather than commitment effects.
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Steblay NK, Dysart JE. Repeated Eyewitness Identification Procedures With the Same Suspect. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2016.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Osborne D, Davies PG. Crime Type, Perceived Stereotypicality, and Memory Biases: A Contextual Model of Eyewitness Identification. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Danny Osborne
- School of Psychology; University of Auckland; Auckland New Zealand
| | - Paul G. Davies
- Department of Psychology; University of British Columbia; Kelowna British Columbia Canada
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Steblay NK, Tix RW, Benson SL. Double Exposure: The Effects of Repeated Identification Lineups on Eyewitness Accuracy. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.2944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy K. Steblay
- Department of Psychology; Augsburg College; Minneapolis; MN; USA
| | - Robert W. Tix
- Department of Psychology; Augsburg College; Minneapolis; MN; USA
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Stevenage SV, Neil GJ, Barlow J, Dyson A, Eaton-Brown C, Parsons B. The effect of distraction on face and voice recognition. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2012; 77:167-75. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-012-0450-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Valentine T, Davis JP, Memon A, Roberts A. Live Showups and Their Influence on a Subsequent Video Line-up. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.1796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amina Memon
- Royal Holloway; University of London; London; UK
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Godfrey RD, Clark SE. Repeated eyewitness identification procedures: memory, decision making, and probative value. LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2010; 34:241-258. [PMID: 19585230 DOI: 10.1007/s10979-009-9187-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/01/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Two experiments examined the effects of multiple identification procedures on identification responses, confidence, and similarity relationships. When the interval between first and second identification procedures was long (Experiment 1), correct and false identifications increased, but the probative value of a suspect identification changed little; consistent witnesses were more confident than inconsistent witnesses; and the similarity relationships between suspect and foils were unchanged. When the interval between first and second identification procedures was short (Experiment 2), suspect identification rates changed little, but foil identifications increased significantly; confidence for all identifications increased; consistent witnesses were more confident than inconsistent witnesses; and similarity relationships changed such that witnesses were less likely to identify the suspect as being the best match to the perpetrator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Godfrey
- Psychology Department, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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Goodsell CA, Neuschatz JS, Gronlund SD. Effects of mugshot commitment on lineup performance in young and older adults. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.1512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Wells GL, Quinlivan DS. Suggestive eyewitness identification procedures and the Supreme Court's reliability test in light of eyewitness science: 30 years later. LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2009; 33:1-24. [PMID: 18302010 DOI: 10.1007/s10979-008-9130-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2007] [Accepted: 02/06/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling concerning suggestive eyewitness identification procedures (Manson v. Braithwaite, 1977, 432 U.S. 98) has not been revisited by the Court in the intervening 30+ years. Meanwhile, scientific studies of eyewitnesses have progressed and DNA exonerations show that mistaken identification is the primary cause of convictions of the innocent. We analyzed the two-inquiry logic in Manson in light of eyewitness science. Several problems are discussed. Ironically, we note that suggestive identification procedures (determined in the first inquiry) boost the eyewitnesses' standing on three of the five criteria (used in the second inquiry) that are used to decide whether the suggestive procedures were a problem. The net effect undermines safeguards intended by the Court and destroys incentives to avoid suggestive procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary L Wells
- Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, West 112 Lago, Ames, IA 50011, USA.
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Pezdek K, Sperry K, Owens SM. Interviewing witnesses: the effect of forced confabulation on event memory. LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2007; 31:463-78. [PMID: 17245633 DOI: 10.1007/s10979-006-9081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2006] [Accepted: 12/08/2006] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
After viewing a crime video, participants answered 16 answerable and 6 unanswerable questions. Those in the "voluntary guess" condition had a "don't know" response option; those in the "forced guess" condition did not. One week later the same questions were answered with a "don't know" option. In both experiments, information generated from forced confabulation was less likely remembered than information voluntarily self-generated. Further, when the same answer was given to an unanswerable question both times, the confidence expressed in the answer increased over time in both the forced and the voluntary guess conditions. Pressing eyewitnesses to answer questions, especially questions repeated thrice (Experiment 2), may not be an effective practice because it reliably increases intrusion errors but not correct recall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy Pezdek
- Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 91711-3955, USA.
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Henkel LA, Coffman KJ. Memory distortions in coerced false confessions: a source monitoring framework analysis. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2004. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.1026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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