Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Jeffrey Neuschatz

Committee Member

Aurora Torres

Committee Member

Jodi Price

Subject(s)

Eyewitness identification, Forensic psychology, Witnesses--Psychology

Abstract

The post-identification feedback effect represents the phenomenon whereby witnesses’ self-reported retrospective judgments are distorted when given information regarding their identification accuracy. Despite the abundance of research surrounding post-identification feedback, no research has examined post-identification feedback while manipulating aspects of the witnessed event. This study begins to fill this gap by examining exposure duration, or the time a witness has to view a culprit, with post-identification feedback. A 2 (Feedback: confirming, none) by 2 (Exposure Duration: long, short) x 2 (Target presence: present, absent) was conducted. Results revealed that witnesses in long exposure conditions were not significantly impacted by feedback as opposed to those in the short exposure conditions, who were significantly impacted by feedback. Implications for researchers include a need to include information regarding exposure duration in their studies and for legal professionals to be aware of how exposure duration and feedback together may affect their cases.

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