Eyewitness identification

Neil Brewer, Gary Wells

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    85 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Eyewitness identifications play an important role in many police investigations and courtroom decisions. Identification decision accuracy is shaped not only by the quality of a witness's memory but also by social-influence variables. Some variables can be categorized as general impairments, whereas others produce biases against a specific suspect. We review some of the key variables in each category and consider postidentification indicators of identification accuracy. Finally, we highlight what we think are some of the major directions for future research. These include addressing some of the significant limitations of past research, examining variables that are not directly related to memory or social influence, and developing some radical new directions for identification tests.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)24-27
    Number of pages4
    JournalCurrent Directions in Psychological Science
    Volume20
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Feb 2011

    Keywords

    • confidence
    • eyewitness identification
    • eyewitness memory

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