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Eyewitness Evidence and Testimony

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Handbook of Psychology and Law

Abstract

Eyewitness testimony is one of the most pervasive and powerful types of evidence routinely introduced in courts of law. Relying on research in memory, perception, and social psychology, we summarize in this chapter the current knowledge of jurors’ beliefs about eyewitness testimony, factors that affect eyewitness accuracy, as well as aspects of the testimony and witness characteristics that influence juror belief. Finally, we discuss the issue of whether research results such as these ought to be communicated to triers of fact, and if so, by what means. This chapter builds on previous reviews (i.e., Loftus, 1981; Loftus & Doyle, 1987; Shapiro & Penrod, 1986), briefly summarizing the earlier work and then updating it with new research published since 1984. As we shall see, some conclusions remain the same, but some are modified.

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Authors
  1. Kipling D. Williams
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  2. Elizabeth F. Loftus
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  3. Kenneth A. Deffenbacher
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. 19130, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dorothy K. Kagehiro

  2. Department of Legal Studies, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 19104-6369, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    William S. Laufer

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Williams, K.D., Loftus, E.F., Deffenbacher, K.A. (1992). Eyewitness Evidence and Testimony. In: Kagehiro, D.K., Laufer, W.S. (eds) Handbook of Psychology and Law. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4038-7_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4038-7_8

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