Across the five studies, eyewitness age generally made a difference in how subjects reacted to the eyewitness and to the case. In study 1, subjects made predictions about a staged crime study involving eyewitnesses of varying ages. The subjects predicted poorer recall for children under 10 than for those 12 and over. In studies 2-5, subjects read and reacted to written criminal cases in which the principal prosecution eyewitness was either a child or an adult. In general, young (under 10) eyewitnesses were judged less credible than adult eyewitnesses, and less guilty verdicts were rendered when the eyewitnesses were under 10 with an otherwise strong prosecution case. Inconsistencies lowered the credibility of young eyewitnesses, but not adult eyewitnesses. The patterns presented in the studies suggests the important roles of jurors' preconceptions, eyewitness behaviors, and whether the latter confirm or disconfirm the former. 55 references, 5 tables. (Author abstract modified)