Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2026

Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
Published on: August 15, 2010
Eyewitness recognition errors: the effects of mugshot viewing and choosing in young and old adults
Amina Memon1, Lorraine Hope, James Bartlett
1Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Old Aberdeen, Scotland. amemon@abdn.ac.uk
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 target-absent lineup that included the critical foil and five new 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.
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