The influence of eyewitness identification decisions and age of witness on jurors’ verdicts and perceptions of reliability

Abstract

Juror verdicts and the perceived reliability of crime details were examined as a function of eyewitness identification decisions (positive identification vs non-identification vs foil identification) and age of the eyewitness (adult vs child). Participants were asked to read a partial transcript of a mock trial and then render verdicts and reliability ratings of various crime details about which the witness testified. Positive identifications led to more guilty verdicts than non-identifications but not more than foil identifications. Positive identifications were perceived as more reliable than non-identifications and foil identifications, whereas non-identifications were perceived as reliable as foil identifications. The reliability of other crime details did not differ as a function of identification decision or age of witness. Overall, the adult witness was rated as more credible than the child witness; however an appreciable difference was not observed in the outcomes measured.

Keywords:

• Jury decision making
• juror
• eyewitness identification
• child eyewitness
• verdict
• reliability ratings
• juror perceptions
• age

This research was supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to the first author.

Notes

1. The full transcripts are available from the first author.