1. The Influence of a Showup Identification on a Subsequent Witness Description
- Author
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Hess, Kelsey Lynne and Hess, Kelsey Lynne
- Abstract
Showups account for 30%-77% of initial identification procedures conducted by police (Flowe et al., 2001; Gonzalez et al., 1993; McQuiston & Malpass, 2001). Unlike lineups, showups are typically administered within a few hours of the crime event. The administration of a showup, due to its timing, is likely to precede a more formal police interview. The showup may introduce new characteristics of the suspect’s physical appearance to the witness. Any new characteristics inconsistent with the perpetrator’s appearance at the crime can be considered misinformation, which has the potential to contaminate witness recall. Although the contaminating effects of a showup have been demonstrated on successive identification procedures (Memon et al., 2002), showup contamination of witness recall has not been investigated. The current project investigated the extent to which misinformation displayed during a showup was incorporated into a later recall attempt and how a witness’ identification decision influences the incorporation of misinformation into recall. Participants first viewed a mock crime video and afterward were administered a showup that was either consistent in appearance with the perpetrator or inconsistent with the perpetrator (misinformation) in the crime. After participants made an identification decision, they were asked open and cued recall questions about the videoed event and the perpetrator. In the present study, exposure to a showup containing misinformation caused participant witnesses to recall that misinformation later when asked questions about the original perpetrator’s appearance at the time of the crime. Further, participants’ recall of misinformation was moderated by their identification decision. Committing to the showup (identifying the suspect as the perpetrator) increased the amount of misinformation participants recalled during later questioning. Results of the study suggest that mere exposure to misinformation increases the likelihood of a witn
- Published
- 2022