"Face Recognition Ability and Eyewitness Identification" by Baylee Nicole Malone

Face Recognition Ability and Eyewitness Identification

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology and Special Education

Date of Award

8-14-2024

Abstract

Eyewitness identification (ID) is a crucial factor in our justice system. There has been a copious amount of research done to improve the ID process. The Innocence Project (2023) lists hundreds of exonerated individuals who were wrongfully convicted due largely to misidentification. I used the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) for this thesis to determine if general facial recognition ability could be a predictor of eyewitness ID accuracy. I also manipulated encoding time to determine whether or not it interacts with this relationship. There is very little research applying tests of face recognition ability to eyewitness ID performance. Further, I investigated eyewitness ID performance from three different ID procedures: showups, biased lineups, and fair lineups. The overall goal of this study was to determine if the CFMT could be used as a predictive tool for eyewitness ID performance. If so, the CFMT is a simple test law enforcement can use to determine if a potential eyewitness would be reliable or not. If someone is generally a weak facial recognizer, they would most likely be a weak eyewitness. Eliminating weak eyewitnesses can be crucial in reducing the number of wrongful convictions that happen every year.

Advisor

Curt Carlson

Subject Categories

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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