Distinguished U of A Psychologist Publishes Second Edition of Book on Eyewitness Identification

A leading expert on eyewitness memory has released a new edition of a book examining how and why eyewitness identifications succeed — or fail.

Taylor & Francis has published the second edition of The Psychology of Eyewitness Identification, authored by James Michael Lampinen, Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Psychological Science in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the U of A.

Lampinen, a cognitive psychologist whose research focuses on the accuracy of eyewitness memory, co-authored the book with Jeffrey Neuschatz of Fielding Graduate University, Stacey Wetmore of Butler University and William Blake Erickson, a U of A alumnus now at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.

Eyewitness identification can play a critical role in criminal investigations. At the same time, mistaken identifications have been a leading cause of wrongful convictions. The book examines the scientific factors that influence eyewitness accuracy and explores ways research in psychology can help improve the reliability of identifications.

Drawing on research in perception, memory, face recognition and social influence, the authors explain when eyewitness testimony is likely to be reliable and when it may be vulnerable to error.

The book also outlines several key categories of factors that influence eyewitness accuracy. These include estimator variables, such as lighting, distance or stress, which affect a witness's memory but are beyond police control; system variables, such as lineup procedures or instructions given to witnesses, which investigators can control; and reflector variables, including witness confidence, which can help predict the likely accuracy of an identification.