Post-identification feedback: exploring the effects of sequential photospreads and eyewitnesses' awareness of the identification task

Abstract

Two experiments tested whether the sequential photospread procedure would protect eyewitnesses against memory distortion from post-identification feedback. In Experiment 1, participants (N = 245) watched a videotaped event and then viewed a sequential or simultaneous target-absent photospread. After their identification, participants were randomly assigned to hear confirming feedback ‘Good, you identified the suspect.’ or no feedback (control). Participants then completed a questionnaire assessing testimony-relevant retrospective judgments. Post-hoc analyses revealed that the sequential photospread only protected against post-identification feedback effects for participants who reported that, while they watched the video, they did not expect to make an identification. A second experiment (N = 320) was conducted to manipulate expectations about the identification task and the presence of the target. This experiment revealed that the post-identification feedback effect persists across witnesses' expectations and lineup type. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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