This volume provides a tutorial review and evaluation of scientific research on the accuracy and reliability of eyewitness identification. The book starts with the perspective that there are a variety of conceptual and empirical problems with eyewitness identification as a form of forensic evidence, just as there are a variety of problems with other forms of forensic evidence. There is then an examination of the important results in the study of eyewitness memory and the implications of this research for psychological theory and for social and legal policy. The volume takes the perspective that research on eyewitness identification can be seen as the paradigmatic example of how psychological science can be successfully applied to real-world problems.

By shedding light on the many factors that can intervene and create inaccurate testimony, Elizabeth Loftus illustrates how memory can be radically altered by the way an eyewitness is questioned, and how new memories can be implanted and old ones changed in subtle ways.

An essential overview of how perception and memory affect eyewitness testimony In 1981, sixteen-year-old Michael Williams was convicted on charges of aggravated rape based on the victim’s eyewitness testimony. No other evidence was found linking him to the attack. After nearly twenty-four years, Williams was released after three separate DNA analyses proved his innocence. The victim still maintains that Williams was the culprit. This heartbreaking case is but one example of eyewitness error. In Understanding Eyewitness Memory, Sean M. Lane and Kate A. Houston delve into the science of eyewitness memory. They examine a number of important topics, from basic research on perception and memory to the implications of this research on the quality and accuracy of eyewitness evidence. The volume answers questions such as: How do we remember and describe people we’ve encountered? What is the nature of false and genuine memories? How do emotional arousal and stress affect what we remember? Understanding Eyewitness Memory offers a brilliant overview of how memory and psychology affect eyewitness testimony, where quality and accuracy can mean the difference between wrongful imprisonment and true justice.

Psychology, Law and Eyewitness Testimony Peter B. Ainsworth, University of Manchester, UK Before giving evidence, witnesses have to swear to tell 'the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth'. Given current knowledge about human perception and memory, it is unlikely that witnesses will be able to keep this promise. Many professionals within the criminal justice and legal system are involved in recording and assessing eyewitness testimony, sometimes with unrealistic expectations of the ability of eyewitnesses to provide accurate and objective testimony: they, and students of psychology, law and criminology, will welcome this up-to-date, accessible survey of the concepts and research which now inform our knowledge of this field. Peter Ainsworth, an experienced lecturer and researcher, has written this book in a style suitable for non-specialists, and focuses on how and why witnesses make mistakes, how psychologists can help, and how legal procedures can be improved (for instance, by reducing the pressure on witnesses to guess). The text is authoritative, backed by references to key research, and well illustrated by examples of how psychology and law are interlinked in the study of eyewitness behaviour. "From some books you take new knowledge. Some books consolidate knowledge by clear writing. Occasionally, as in this book, you get both. Peter Ainsworth has done his readers a favour by presenting complex material simply yet succinctly. I hope the book enjoys the wide professional readership which it merits." Ken Pease, OBE, Professor of Criminology, University of Huddersfield, UK