Eyewitness Identification: An Investigation of the Feature-Detection Hypothesis

Toftely, Shannon

Eyewitness Identification: An Investigation of the Feature-Detection Hypothesis

dc.contributor.advisor	Gronlund, Scott
dc.contributor.author	Toftely, Shannon
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Wenger, Michael
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Devenport, Lynn
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Terry, Robert
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Sharp, Susan
dc.date.accessioned	2015-05-18T13:29:52Z
dc.date.available	2015-05-18T13:29:52Z
dc.date.issued	2015-05
dc.date.manuscript	2015-05-01
dc.description.abstract	In eyewitness research, presenting lineup photos sequentially (one at a time) is thought to be superior to presenting lineup photos simultaneously (all at once); however, recent research has identified a robust simultaneous lineup advantage. This simultaneous advantage has been explained by the feature-detection hypothesis, which posits that simultaneous presentation allows witnesses to discover that particular facial features are non-diagnostic of the perpetrator (i.e., features shared by all lineup members) because lineup members can be directly compared (Wixted & Mickes, 2014). In two experiments, the feature-detection hypothesis was examined with a load manipulation (Experiment 1) and using eye tracking measures (Experiment 2). Although there was a significant simultaneous advantage in both experiments, support for the feature-detection hypothesis was mixed. In Experiment 1, a load manipulation designed to interfere with the processes described by the feature-detection hypothesis, was ineffective, possibly due to poor performing lineups or to the unique processing inherent to faces. In Experiment 2, eye movements, as predicted by the feature-detection hypothesis, was expected to change as a participant focused in on useful features. Eye movements changed as predicted in the simultaneous lineup, but not in the sequential lineup. More work is needed to examine the plausibility of the feature-detection hypothesis. Several alternative experiments are discussed.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11244/14621
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	Psychology, Cognitive.	en_US
dc.subject	Eyewitness Identification	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Ph.D.	en_US
dc.title	Eyewitness Identification: An Investigation of the Feature-Detection Hypothesis	en_US
ou.group	College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Psychology	en_US