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Exposure duration: effects on eyewitness accuracy and confidence.

Amina Memon1, Lorraine Hope, Ray Bull

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Old Aberdeen, Scotland AB24 2UB, UK. amemon@abdn.ac.uk

British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|September 27, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Longer exposure to a culprit's face improves eyewitness identification accuracy for both young and older adults. However, extended viewing may inflate confidence, masking accuracy differences in eyewitness memory.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Forensic psychology
  • Human perception

Background:

  • Eyewitness identification is crucial in the justice system.
  • Factors influencing eyewitness accuracy, such as exposure duration, require thorough investigation.
  • Understanding age-related differences in face recognition is important for legal contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of facial exposure duration on eyewitness identification accuracy and confidence.
  • To examine how age (young vs. older adults) moderates the relationship between exposure duration and identification performance.
  • To explore the link between identification confidence and accuracy across different exposure lengths.

Main Methods:

  • 164 young (17-25) and older (59-81) adults viewed a simulated crime with culprit face exposure of 12s (short) or 45s (long).

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  • Participants completed a target-absent or target-present lineup.
  • Identification accuracy and confidence ratings were recorded.

    • Main Results:

    • Identification accuracy was significantly higher in the long exposure condition for both age groups.
    • In the short exposure condition, accurate witnesses were more confident than inaccurate ones.
    • In the long exposure condition, confidence levels did not differ between accurate and inaccurate witnesses.

    Conclusions:

    • Extended facial exposure duration enhances eyewitness identification accuracy.
    • Longer exposure may lead to inflated confidence, potentially decoupling confidence from accuracy.
    • Age does not appear to be a primary moderator of the positive effect of exposure duration on accuracy.