Impact of Face Memory, Response Latency, and Confidence on Eyewitness Accuracy

Dunning and Perretta's (2002) 10-second rule suggests that identification made faster than 10 seconds have a 90% probability of being accurate. Although these findings have not been fully supported by the literature, other research has found that a combination of confidence and the 10-second time boundary can predict accuracy (Wells, Weber & Brewer, 2004). In this experiment, we investigated whether face identification abilities, response latency, and confidence level would predict eyewitness accuracy. participants watched a video of a crime and 30 minutes later completed a lineup identification task with either a simultaneous or sequential lineup. We also measured face memory using the Cambridge Memory Test (CFMT). preliminary results indicate that correct decisions are made faster than incorrect ones for a sequential lineup. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.