Facilitating Accuracy in Showup Identification Procedures: The Effects of the Presence of Stolen Property

Abstract

SummaryLaw enforcement personnel regularly present suspects to eyewitnesses using showups. In this study, we examined the impact of the presence of stolen property on live showup identification performance. Two hundred seventy university students were exposed to a simulated theft. During the subsequent showup, we manipulated the presence of the target and stolen property. Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that both factors independently predicted the accuracy of identification decisions. Participants were more accurate when the target was in the showup and when the stolen property was present during the identification. Consistent with the item, context, and ensemble theory of recognition, the presence of stolen property led to an increase in sensitivity, suggesting ensemble formation. Future research on showups should continue to examine contextual variables that may lead to changes in sensitivity or criterion shift. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Do the clothes make the criminal? The influence of clothing match on identification accuracy in showups.

“…Additionally, we utilized a much greater sample size than prior research, providing sufficient power (Maxwell, Kelley, & Rausch, 2008). Lastly, we did not encounter ceiling effects, which may have hampered past research (Dysart et al, 2006;Smith et al, 2013).…”

“…Smith et al (2013) examined whether matching the context of the event at a subsequent showup identification could enhance performance. The researchers varied whether the presence of the stolen property in question (a backpack) could provide an additional context cue to enhance memory retrieval.…”

“…Neither Dysart et al (2006) nor Valentine et al (2012) replicated this effect with common clothing. The one study that evaluated context match, Smith et al (2013), was difficult to interpret due to the ceiling effect. The ambiguous findings are surprising given that basic memory theory makes clear predictions about the effects of context match on memory performance.…”

“…Clothing match can be interpreted as a type of context, and the impact of context on retrieval has been addressed in the psycho-legal literature (Cutler, Penrod, O’Rourke, & Martens, 1986; Cutler, Penrod, & Martens, 1987; Smith, Leach, & Cutler, 2013). Smith et al (2013) examined whether matching the context of the event at a subsequent showup identification could enhance performance. The researchers varied whether the presence of the stolen property in question (a backpack) could provide an additional context cue to enhance memory retrieval.…”

Eyewitness Identification Accuracy: The Influence of Olfactory Stimuli Used as a Form of Context Reinstatement

“…These findings suggest that participants experienced an effective match in ensemble information (i.e., information that is formed by combining item and context information) at learning and test (Murnane, Phelps, & Malmberg, 1999), as hit rates were influenced by contextual changes. Various other studies have found similar findings (Davies & Milne, 1985;Searcy, Bartlett, Memon, & Swanson, 2001;Maras & Bowler, 2012;Smith, Leach, Cutler, 2013), suggesting that context reinstatement is influential in an eyewitness context.…”