A Re-Evaluation of Pre- Versus Post-Identification Confidence Using Confidence-Accuracy Calibration
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology and Special Education
Date of Award
Fall 2015
Abstract
Researchers have used point-biserial correlation to show that eyewitness confidence assessed prior to a lineup does not predict lineup identification accuracy. However, recent research has shown the benefits of using calibration analyses to determine the relationship between eyewitness confidence and accuracy (CA). We applied this method to explore the CA relationship both for pre- and post-lineup confidence using a multiple-block face recognition paradigm. There were three conditions, which differed only in the timing of confidence assessment: (a) immediately after the encoding phase, (b) immediately after the lineup decision, or (c) both immediately after encoding and immediately after the lineup decision. We found that pre-lineup confidence assessment harmed calibration and has the potential to harm discriminability as well (based on ROC analysis). This implies that police might want to be careful what questions they ask of eyewitnesses after a crime, as there is the potential to weaken the CA relationship and even harm subsequent identification accuracy. Specifically, law enforcement should avoid the formal use of pre-lineup confidence assessments, instead focusing only on confidence ratings provided immediately post-lineup.
Advisor
Curt Carlson
Subject Categories
Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Bednarz, Jane Elizabeth, "A Re-Evaluation of Pre- Versus Post-Identification Confidence Using Confidence-Accuracy Calibration" (2015). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 960.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/960
