NCJ Number
208885
Journal
Journal of Police and Ciminal Psychology Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2004 Pages: 15-22
Editor(s)
William U. Weiss
Date Published
2004
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article presents the results of an experiment comparing the effectiveness of three line-up methods: live, video, and photographs.
Abstract
To test an eyewitness’s memory of a suspect, he or she is usually presented with a line-up. Generally, there are three different methods to present a line-up: live, video, or photographs. Compared with a live line-up, both photos and videotapes are suggested to have clear practical advantages. For example, if a witness is in the hospital both photos and video can be used, as well as the same pictures can be used for all subsequent witnesses. In this study, an experiment was conducted with 337 participants to identify the accuracy affected by the kind of method used for the identity parade, specifically live, video, or photographs, the usefulness of dynamic features in video images, to determine whether photographs presented simultaneously or sequentially made a difference, and determine whether the confidence of the witness and research assistant and reaction time were good predictors for the accuracy of a witness’s judgment. The results show that all methods led to an equal number of correct identifications or hits. However, the results also indicate that the live line-up resulted in the lowest percentage of false alarms. References