Question 1

What type of judgment occurs when a witness selects the person in a lineup who looks most like the culprit, believing the offender has to be in the lineup?
A)conclusive
B)suggestible
C)relative
D)subjective

Accepted Answer

This type of judgment is known as "relative judgment," where the witness compares the lineup participants to each other rather than to their memory of the offender, operating under the assumption that the perpetrator must be among those presented.

Question 2

Researchers have demonstrated that being of another race when identifying strangers:
A)substantially increases the risk of mistaken identification.
B)substantially decreases the risk of mistaken identification.
C)increases the risk of mistaken identification, but not significantly.
D)decreases the risk of mistaken identification, but not significantly.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that cross-racial identification (identifying someone of a different race) is less accurate than same-race identification. This phenomenon, often referred to as the "cross-race effect" or "other-race effect," suggests that people are generally better at recognizing faces of their own race than those of other races, leading to a higher risk of mistaken identification in cross-racial situations.

Question 3

In  Perry v. New Hampshire (2012), SCOTUS ruled that:
A)the due process clause does not require a hearing into the reliability of eyewitness identification procedures that were not arranged by the police.
B)accidental show-ups constitute "fruit of the poisonous tree" and cannot be used at trial.
C)accidental show-ups are preferable to organized lineups.
D)accidental show-ups are a highly successful tool of law enforcement.

Accepted Answer

In Perry v. New Hampshire (2012), the Supreme Court ruled that the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not require a preliminary judicial inquiry into the reliability of an eyewitness identification unless the identification was procured under unnecessarily suggestive circumstances arranged by law enforcement.

Question 4

What is one of the reasons that psychologists are skeptical of eyewitness retrospective self-reports?
A)the social desirability of the responses
B)the problem of inconsistency
C)the lack of descriptive terminology
D)the inability of witnesses to understand the importance of their reports

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is one of the reasons that...

Question 5

Researchers recommend that officials:
A)present members of a lineup to the witness at the same time, standing together.
B)have the officer who arrested the suspect conduct the lineup.
C)present members of a lineup to the witness one at a time.
D)inform the witness that the suspect is one of the individuals they will be asked to identify in the lineup.

Accepted Answer

Presenting members of a lineup to the witness one at a time (sequential lineup) is recommended because it reduces the relative judgment process, where the witness compares lineup members to each other, and encourages absolute judgment, comparing each member to the witness's memory of the perpetrator. This method has been shown to increase the accuracy of identifications.

Question 6

Best guesses indicate that eyewitness misidentifications account for what percentage of wrongful convictions of persons eventually exonerated by DNA?
A)10 percent
B)25 percent
C)75 percent
D)90 percent

Accepted Answer

Eyewitness misidentifications are a leading cause of wrongful convictions, accounting for approximately 75 percent of cases later overturned by DNA evidence.

Question 7

What type of research consists of analysis of real procedures used in actual criminal cases?
A)quantitative research
B)experimental research
C)archival research
D)ex post facto research

Accepted Answer

Archival research involves the analysis of existing records or archives, such as the procedures used in actual criminal cases, to gather data and insights.

Question 8

In State v. Long (1986), the Court ruled that trial courts have to give jurors what type of instruction, explaining the weaknesses of eyewitness identification evidence?
A)cautionary
B)identification
C)objective
D)evidentiary

Accepted Answer

In State v. Long (1986), the Court ruled that trial courts must give jurors a cautionary instruction, explaining the potential weaknesses of eyewitness identification evidence to ensure a fair assessment of its reliability.

Question 9

Psychologists separate memory into three phases. Which of the following is not one of the three phases?
A)acquisition
B)retention
C)retrieval
D)utterance

Accepted Answer

The three phases of memory are acquisition (the process of gaining new information and placing it into memory), retention (the process of holding onto information over time), and retrieval (the process of getting information out of memory when needed). "Utterance" is not considered a phase of memory; it relates more to speech and language.

Question 10

What type of lineup reduces the power of suggestion and reduces the possibility that the witness will pick the person who most resembles the perpetrator?
A)sequential
B)simultaneous
C)blind
D)photo

Accepted Answer

Sequential lineups, where suspects are presented one at a time to the witness, reduce the power of suggestion and the likelihood of a witness choosing someone based on relative comparison to others in the lineup, leading to potentially more accurate identifications.

Question 11

What is the term for an identification procedure in which a witness happens to see the defendant in custody, say outside the courtroom or in the police station?
A)a photo array
B)an accidental show-up
C)a lineup
D)a confrontation

Accepted Answer

An accidental show-up refers to an unplanned or incidental identification where a witness sees the suspect in a non-controlled environment, such as seeing them in custody at a police station or courthouse, which can influence the witness's perception and the reliability of their identification.

Question 12

Identification of a single suspect by a witness is called:
A)a lineup.
B)a photo array.
C)a show-up.
D)an in-court identification.

Accepted Answer

A show-up involves presenting a single suspect to a witness for identification, typically soon after the crime has occurred, to confirm or deny the suspect's involvement. Unlike lineups or photo arrays, which involve multiple individuals for comparison, a show-up focuses on one individual.

Question 13

Which of the following is not of one Wisconsin's recommendations for improving police lineups?
A)Present the suspect and the fillers simultaneously.
B)Instruct eyewitnesses that the real criminal may or may not be present in the lineup.
C)Use a "double blind" procedure.
D)Use fillers that will minimize any suggestiveness that might indicate the suspect.

Accepted Answer

Wisconsin recommends presenting the suspect and fillers sequentially (one by one) rather than simultaneously (all at once) to improve the accuracy of police lineups. This method reduces the relative judgment process, where witnesses compare lineup members to each other, and encourages absolute judgment, comparing each lineup member to the witness's memory of the perpetrator.

Question 14

The participants in most police lineups consist mainly of:
A)inmates from the local jail.
B)volunteers from the community.
C)civilians who work for the police department.
D)correctional officers.

Accepted Answer

Inmates from the local jail are often used as participants in police lineups because they are readily available and have similar physical characteristics to the suspect.

Question 15

Suggestive lineups:
A)lead to automatic exclusion of the resulting identification.
B)are always questioned by the trial judge.
C)give rise always to a substantial likelihood of misidentification.
D)do not lead to automatic exclusion of the resulting identification.

Accepted Answer

Suggestive lineups do not automatically lead to exclusion; the court considers the totality of circumstances to determine if the identification is reliable despite the suggestiveness.

Question 16

What occurs when eyewitnesses are shown persons or objects and asked whether they are involved in the crime?
A)recall
B)recognition
C)suggestion
D)retention

Accepted Answer

When eyewitnesses are shown persons or objects and asked whether they are involved in the crime, it involves the process of recognition, as they need to identify familiar stimuli from among the options presented to them.

Question 17

Research shows that jurors:
A)tend to overestimate the accuracy of a witness's lineup identification.
B)tend to question the accuracy of eyewitness identification.
C)understand the problems involved in administering identification procedures.
D)are aware of the research about eyewitness identification.

Accepted Answer

Jurors often overestimate the accuracy of eyewitness identifications, including those made during lineups, due to a common belief in the reliability of eyewitness testimony, despite research indicating its potential for error.

Question 18

What term refers to the perception of an event when information is first entered into a person's memory?
A)recall
B)acquisition
C)suggestion
D)retention

Accepted Answer

Acquisition refers to the initial stage of the learning or memory process, during which information is taken in and first entered into memory.

Question 19

Over time, memory:
A)fades, and witnesses recognize this problem.
B)fades, but witnesses develop greater confidence about their recall ability.
C)improves, but witnesses do not have confidence in this fact.
D)improves, and witnesses recognize this fact.

Accepted Answer

Memory tends to fade over time, yet paradoxically, witnesses often develop greater confidence in their memories the more time passes. This phenomenon is known as the confidence-accuracy discrepancy in eyewitness testimony, where the confidence level of the witness is not always a reliable indicator of the accuracy of their memory.

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of the three variables included by psychologists in the Manson reliability test of eyewitness identification?
A)the eyewitness's opportunity to view the criminal
B)the amount of attention the witness paid to the criminal
C)the witness's confidence in the accuracy of the identification
D)expert testimony concerning the reliability of eyewitness identification

Accepted Answer

The Manson reliability test for eyewitness identification includes variables related to the eyewitness's opportunity to view the criminal, the amount of attention the witness paid, and the witness's confidence in their identification. Expert testimony concerning the reliability of eyewitness identification is not one of the variables included in this test.

Quiz 9: Identification Procedures

What type of judgment occurs when a witness selects the person in a lineup who looks most like the culprit, believing the offender has to be in the lineup?

Researchers have demonstrated that being of another race when identifying strangers:

In Perry v. New Hampshire (2012) , SCOTUS ruled that:

What is one of the reasons that psychologists are skeptical of eyewitness retrospective self-reports?

Researchers recommend that officials:

Best guesses indicate that eyewitness misidentifications account for what percentage of wrongful convictions of persons eventually exonerated by DNA?

What type of research consists of analysis of real procedures used in actual criminal cases?

In State v. Long (1986) , the Court ruled that trial courts have to give jurors what type of instruction, explaining the weaknesses of eyewitness identification evidence?

Psychologists separate memory into three phases. Which of the following is not one of the three phases?

What type of lineup reduces the power of suggestion and reduces the possibility that the witness will pick the person who most resembles the perpetrator?

What is the term for an identification procedure in which a witness happens to see the defendant in custody, say outside the courtroom or in the police station?

Identification of a single suspect by a witness is called:

Which of the following is not of one Wisconsin's recommendations for improving police lineups?

The participants in most police lineups consist mainly of:

Suggestive lineups:

What occurs when eyewitnesses are shown persons or objects and asked whether they are involved in the crime?

Research shows that jurors:

What term refers to the perception of an event when information is first entered into a person's memory?

Over time, memory:

Which of the following is not one of the three variables included by psychologists in the Manson reliability test of eyewitness identification?