NCJ Number
49642
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Dated: (JULY 1978) Pages: 596-601
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
THE UTILITY AND VALIDITY OF POLYGRAPH, FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION, HANDWRITING ANALYSIS, AND EYEWITNESS TECHNIQUES IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION PROCEEDINGS WERE ASSESSED AND COMPARED.
Abstract
EIGHTY STUDENT VOLUNTEERS, RANGING IN AGE FROM 19 TO 24 YEARS, SERVED AS SUBJECTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION. ALL SUBJECTS PROVIDED HANDWRITING SPECIMENS, FULL-FACE PHOTOGRAPHS, AND FINGERPRINTS. THEY WERE THEN ASSIGNED TO 20 GROUPS COMPOSED OF 4 SUBJECTS EACH. TEN OF THE GROUPS CONSISTED OF ALL MALE SUBJECTS, NINE OF ALL FEMALE SUBJECTS, AND ONE GROUP CONTAINED TWO MALES AND TWO FEMALES. WITHIN EACH GROUP, ONE SUBJECT WAS ASSIGNED RANDOMLY THE ROLE OF PERPETRATOR IN EACH OF 20 SIMILAR INVESTIGATIVE CASES THAT WERE CARRIED OUT INDEPENDENTLY. THE REMAINING THREE SUBJECTS IN EACH GROUP WERE ASSIGNED THE ROLE OF INNOCENT SUSPECTS. ALL SUBJECTS WERE TOLD THAT THEY WERE TO UNDERGO A POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION TO DETERMINE THEIR ROLE IN THE CASES. THE NUMBER OF CORRECTLY RESOLVED CASES, THOSE IN WHICH THE PERPETRATOR AND THE INNOCENT SUSPECTS WERE CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED, WAS GREATEST FOR THE POLYGRAPH EXAMINER, FOLLOWED IN ORDER BY THE HANDWRITING EXPERT, THE EYEWITNESS, AND THE FINGERPRINT EXPERT. THE PERCENTAGE OF FALSE POSITIVE ERRORS WAS GREATEST FOR EYEWITNESS IDENTIFICATION, FOLLOWED BY HANDWRITING ANALYSIS, POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION, AND FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION. THE CLOSED TRIAL METHOD USED IN THE RESEARCH WAS NOT NECESSARILY SIMILAR TO REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS, AND BIAS PROBABLY EXISTED IN FAVOR OF CORRECT DETECTION BY THE EXPERTS. FINDINGS SUPPORT THE CLAIM OF PRACTITIONERS THAT RELATIVE TO OTHER METHODS THE POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUE IS EFFECTIVE FOR RESOLVING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)