Sequential lineup presentation promotes less-biased criterion setting but does not improve discriminability

Matthew Palmer, Neil Brewer

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    80 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    When compared with simultaneous lineup presentation, sequential presentation has been shown to reduce false identifications to a greater extent than it reduces correct identifications. However, there has been much debate about whether this difference in identification performance represents improved discriminability or more conservative responding. In this research, data from 22 experiments that compared sequential and simultaneous lineups were analyzed using a compound signal-detection model, which is specifically designed to describe decision-making performance on tasks such as eyewitness identification tests. Sequential (cf. simultaneous) presentation did not influence discriminability, but produced a conservative shift in response bias that resulted in less-biased choosing for sequential than simultaneous lineups. These results inform understanding of the effects of lineup presentation mode on eyewitness identification decisions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)247-255
    Number of pages9
    JournalLaw and Human Behavior
    Volume36
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jun 2012

    Keywords

    • compound signal detection
    • eyewitness identification
    • sequential lineup advantage
    • signal detection theory

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