Use this URL to cite or link to this record in EThOS: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.497540
Title: Children and adults line-up identification accuracy : a re-examination and evaluation of current theories
Author: Humphries, Joyce Elaine
ISNI:       0000 0004 2668 5263
Awarding Body: University of Kent
Current Institution: University of Kent
Date of Award: 2007
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Abstract:
The main aim of this thesis was to increase understanding of the decision processes and strategies underlying line-up identifications in child and adult eyewitness. In the first experiment, 8- to 10-year-olds witnessed a staged-crime event then identified the target from a sequential, fast elimination or slow elimination line-ups. Measures of children's pre-decision and post-decision confidence were also obtained. Correct identifications of the target were significantly higher with the fast elimination line-up. A main effect of line-up type was not found in target-absent conditions. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed and some limitations of the experiment are highlighted. Experiment 2 examined the identification accuracy of 5- to 6-year-olds, 9- to 10-year-olds and adults in target-present and target-absent simultaneous, sequential and fast elimination line-ups. Measures of children's and adults pre-decision and post-decision confidence were also obtained. Age related differences in identification accuracy were found such that 5- to 6-year-olds were less likely than 9- to 10-year-olds or adults to make a correct line-up rejection. However, 9- to 10-year-olds' correct rejections were equivalent to adults'. Both groups of children were less likely than adults to correctly identify the target with a sequential line-up. Experiment 3 aimed to establish whether seeing the line-up members as moving images would influence children's discrimination of line-up members. Identification accuracy of 5- to 6-year-olds, 9- to 10-year-olds and adults was examined across Target-absent conditions of simultaneous line-up and fast elimination line-ups. The results from this experiment were found to be comparable to those of Experiment 2 such that 9- to 10-year-olds' correct rejections were equivalent to adults.
Supervisor: Not available Sponsor: Not available
Qualification Name: Thesis (Ph.D.) Qualification Level: Doctoral
EThOS ID: uk.bl.ethos.497540  DOI: Not available
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