JOUR 625 Lecture Notes - Lecture 68: Visual Perception, Eyewitness Testimony, Eyewitness Identification
23 Jul 2020
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Document Summary
The problem with eyewitness identification has been approached through applied research with the goal of understanding how certain variables influence witnesses" ability to accurately identify a person. Crime is an unexpected thing and because of this, a person can naturally make a distinction between things that reflect the witness" unplanned situational or cognitive state of mind when the crime occurred. These variable reflect controllable conditions and internal states of mind after events have been witnessed by someone. Research has categorizes these factors as estimator and system variables. The presence of distracting stimuli: weapons, bright lights, loud noises. Internal states of the observer: attention, motivation, skill, prejudice. System variables are things that can be controlled by the criminal justice system. The way a lineup is presented to eyewitnesses. Whether the lineup administrator is blind to the lineup participants" status. Estimator and system variables can be manipulated in laboratory studies and can become staged as a crime after interrogation of the eyewitnesses.
