Does exposure to facial composites damage eyewitness memory? A comprehensive review

Siegfried L. Sporer*, Colin G. Tredoux, Annelies Vredeveldt, Kate Kempen, Alicia Nortje

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Eyewitnesses often create face likenesses, which are published in the hope that potential suspects will be reported to the police. Witnesses exposed to another witness's composite, however, may be positively or negatively influenced by such composites. A good likeness may facilitate identification, but a bad likeness that resembles an innocent suspect may lead to a misidentification (“mix-up”). We offer a theoretical review, and comprehensively summarize extant studies descriptively because most studies did not report enough statistical details to warrant a formal meta-analysis. Some studies showed negative exposure effects, particularly when the innocent suspect and composite shared misleading features. Studies that exposed witnesses to “good” composites reported positive or no effects on lineup performance, and some highly powered studies also showed no effect. We outline suggestions for further investigations under ecologically valid conditions. We also make recommendations for investigative practice, and the evaluation of identification evidence by fact finders or courts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1166-1179
Number of pages14
JournalApplied Cognitive Psychology
Volume34
Issue number5
Early online date9 Jun 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sep 2020

Keywords

  • eyewitness identification
  • eyewitness recall
  • face composites
  • misinformation effect

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