Eyewitness recognition errors: the effects of mugshot viewing and choosing in young and old adults

Amina Memon, Lorraine Hope, James Bartlett, Ray Bull

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Eyewitness memory is vulnerable to information encountered prior to a lineup. Young (18–30 years) and older (60–80 years) witnesses viewed a crime video. Some witnesses were then exposed to mugshots of innocent suspects that included a critical foil. After a 48-h delay, all the witnesses took part in a targetabsent lineup that included the critical foil and fivenew foils. Witnesses who picked one of the mugshots as the likely perpetrator showed inflated rates of choosing the critical foil from the lineup. Context reinstatement instructions did not reduce choices of innocent foils following mugshot exposure. Despite age-related increases in false choosing, age did not qualify other effects. The results are discussed in terms of commitment, source memory, and gist-based processing.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1219-1227
JournalMemory and Cognition
Volume30
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2002

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