How Does Feedback Affect Eyewitnesses Identification?

Whether a certain amount of time passes or the lighting was too dark, these are all variables that can easily affect an eyewitnesses’ identification. Estimator variables are those that are out of the justice system’s control such as the presence of a weapon, the lighting effects, or the distance between the perpetrator and the victim. System variables, on the other hand, can be controlled by the justice system such as the way a witness is being interviewed, or the instructions they are being given. Due to the fact that system variables can be controlled, I believe false identifications made by eyewitnesses can be decreased.
A reform that should take place is that of omitting feedback when the eyewitness is making his/her identification because it strongly affects their decision. Whether this feedback is in the form of any facial expression or actually saying something like whether or not they identified the suspect correctly. Also, giving clear instructions to the eyewitness that the suspect may or may not be in the lineup. I believe that some sort of treatment should be implemented in which if the administrator happens to know who the suspect is, then …show more content…
The individuals who witnessed a staged crime had to identify who the suspect was. At the time of identification, the administrator would either provide confirming feedback such as letting them know they have done a good job at identifying the suspect, disconfirming feedback such as mentioning that the suspect was actually someone else, or no feedback. Results showed that any feedback given affected eyewitnesses’ certainty on who they identified as the suspect. Not only did it affect their certainty, but it also affected the amount of time they took to make the identification, the ability to make out features of the suspect’s face and their basis for making an identification (Wells & Bradfield,