Identification accuracy and confidence reliability in cross-racial lineup identification

Abstract

Much previous research suggests that when testing eyewitness memory in legal settings, sequential lineups, where suspects are displayed one-by-one, are more effective at promoting correct identifications and reducing false identifications than simultaneous lineups, where suspects are all displayed together. However, most previous studies used only own-race photographs. The present research systematically tests and compares the identification accuracy and confidence reliability of these two types of lineups across own-race and cross-race lineups. Both Chinese and Caucasian participants were presented with target photographs and were later asked to identify them from target-present and target-absent lineups. The results found a consistent own-race advantage only in sequential lineups, but not in simultaneous lineups. In addition, there was a mild positive correlation between accuracy and confidence. A subsequent experiment showed that the own-race advantage for sequential lineups disappeared when faces were inverted, consistent with evidence that inversion disrupts holistic processing. These results have clear implications for the use of lineups to test eyewitness memory in legal settings, and suggest that lineup design should be based upon the similarity in race between the witness and the suspect.