Effected by Affect? The Effect of Lineup Administrator Likeability on Eyewitnesses’ Behavior
摘要
Recent shifts in data collection for eyewitness research have isolated the effects of social influence on eyewitness identifications, but these effects are not as readily limited in real-world identification procedures. To date, no study has considered how lineup administrator likeability influences eyewitnesses’ behavior during the identification procedure. The current study manipulated lineup administrator likeability such that participants interacted with a likeable, rude, or neutral administrator. Participants viewed a mock crime video and then attempted to make an identification from a target absent lineup. Additionally, half of the participants received a post-identification feedback (PIF) statement stating their identification decision was correct. Higher ratings of administrator likeability did not produce more identifications but were associated with an increase in witnesses’ willingness to testify and belief their decision should be trusted. Participants who received PIF reported superior witnessing experiences relative to those who did not, but this effect was consistent across all administrator conditions. The implications of these findings will be further discussed.