PUBLICATIONS

Stay Informed
Register with NCJRS to receive NCJRS's biweekly e-newsletter JUSTINFO and additional periodic emails from NCJRS and the NCJRS federal sponsors that highlight the latest research published or sponsored by the Office of Justice Programs.

NCJRS Abstract

The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Virtual Library collection. To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the Virtual Library. See the Obtain Documents page for direction on how to access resources online, via mail, through interlibrary loans, or in a local library.

	NCJ Number:		NCJ 250422
	Title:		Pre-Feedback Eyewitness Statements: Proposed Safeguard Against Feedback Effects on Evaluations of Eyewitness Testimony
	URL(s):		PDF
	Author(s):		Laura Smalarz
	Corporate Author:		Iowa State University United States of America
	Date Published:		12/2016
	Page Count:		90
	Annotation:		This study tested a novel safeguard intended to correct the effects of an investigator’s complimenting responses to an eyewitness who has just made a positive identification of a suspect, since recent research has shown that such compliments given to the eyewitness after his/her identification tend to reinforce the eyewitness’ commitment to the identification and impede subsequent efforts to evaluate the strength and accuracy of the identification.
	Abstract:		The importance of this research is established by noting that mistaken, but highly confident, eyewitness testimony has been used to convict innocent people in approximately 220 criminal cases in the United States. In the current research, some eyewitnesses, but not others, were asked a series of testimony-relevant questions about the witnessed event and their identification decision prior to receiving complimentary responses on an identification or no responses at all from those managing the identification. The eyewitness statements prior to any complimentary response were videotaped and subsequently assessed by evaluators as to the accuracy of eyewitnesses’ identifications. This study determined that videotaping an eyewitness identification prior to any complimentary response to the identification did not protect against or correct for the effects of subsequent compliments on evaluations of eyewitness identifications. Still, this research has theoretical value, because it fuels a number of questions that have the potential to further develop an understanding of how post-identification compliments influence eyewitnesses. The most promising path for future research involves determining whether the conditions under which compliments are given the eyewitness identification do not impair a subsequent evaluation of the strength and accuracy of an eyewitness’ testimony. 3 figures, 72 references, and appended experimental design and still photos from the witnessed event
	Main Term(s):		Court procedures
	Index Term(s):		Testing and measurement ; Suspect identification ; National Institute of Justice (NIJ) ; Eyewitness testimony ; Wrongful conviction ; Eyewitness memory ; NIJ final report ; Eyewitnesses
	Sponsoring Agency:		National Institute of Justice (NIJ) US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs United States of America
	Grant Number:		2013-IJ-CX-0010
	Sale Source:		National Institute of Justice (NIJ) US Department of Justice 810 Seventh Street NW Office of Justice Programs Washington, DC 20531 United States of America
	Type:		Report (Study/Research) ; Research (Applied/Empirical) ; Report (Grant Sponsored)
	Country:		United States of America
	Language:		English
	To cite this abstract, use the following link: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=272582
*A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's website is provided. Tell us how you use the NCJRS Library and Abstracts Database - send us your feedback.