This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An eyewitness can tell the truth, believe every word they say and still send an innocent person to prison. A new study by Stephen Charman from FIU's Department of Psychology takes on a question that has challenged the justice system for decades: Can we rely on eyewitnesses to help identify the person responsible for a crime?
His research suggests that part of the answer lies in how accurately witnesses remember the identification process. Before a lineup, witnesses are given instructions about what they are about to see and how they should make their choice. They may also receive feedback on their performance once the lineup is over.
Questions may arise if a witness can't remember what they were told, what happened during the lineup or what happened afterward. The findings are published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology. The study found that witnesses remember feedback better after making an identification.
Charman says this matters because a witness may be asked to describe the identification long after it happened, sometimes during later stages of a criminal case, and by then, some details may have faded. Even memories that seem clear can be influenced by the way people are asked about them. Leading questions—questions that suggest a particular answer—can change what witnesses report remembering, especially when their original memory is already weak.
The study suggests video recording identification procedures, so there is a record of what actually happened. Without a recording, the legal system may have to rely on the witness's memory, which may not always tell the full story. A witness can genuinely believe they are remembering what happened, while their memory may be a mixture of what they experienced, what they later inferred and what they were led to believe.
"When misinformation gets incorporated into your memory, it becomes almost indistinguishable from it," Charman explained. "People are not necessarily aware of how their memory was influenced in the past. It feels real to them." A witness may forget exactly what an officer said before the lineup or what happened immediately after it.
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