NCJ Number
159558
Date Published
1994
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Because much empirical research has been conducted during the past decade to evaluate variables influencing the accuracy of eyewitness identification and most studies have focused on situational variables, experiments are reported that look at individual differences in personality and their relation to eyewitness identification accuracy.
Abstract
Experimental findings indicate consistent differences between high and low self-monitors and their accuracy in eyewitness identification. High self-monitors concern themselves to a greater extent than low self-monitors with social information informing them how their interactions with others are proceeding. When in situations where natural tendencies are allowed to be expressed, high self-monitors are better able to remember faces of people they have met. It appears that high self-monitors process information differently than low self- monitors, based on differences in amplitude and latency of their cortical evoked potentials. In addition, reliable individual differences in eyewitness identification accuracy are related to individual differences on the neuropsychological Benton Facial Recognition Test. Future research in this area should identify people at the extremes of the normal range to provide a strong test of hypothesized differences in eyewitness identification tasks. In particular, field studies should be conducted to determine the generalizability of the current findings. Cognitive styles are discussed in terms of the relationship between eyewitness identification accuracy and individual difference variables. 58 references