1. African-American Stimuli
The Influence of the Cross-Race Effect on Lineup Construction and Fairness
Tara L. Mitchell
Lock Haven University
Lineup procedures have recently garnered extensive empirical attention, in an effort to reduce the number of mistaken identifications that plague the criminal justice system. Relatively little attention, however, has been paid to the influence of the lineup constructor or the lineup construction technique on the quality of the lineup. This study examined whether the cross-race effect has an influence on the quality of lineups constructed using a match-to-suspect or match-to-description technique in a series of three phases. Black faces were described with more accuracy in Phase 1. The cross-race effect was observed, however, in Phases 2 and 3. The lineup construction technique used also influenced several of the measures in Phases 2 and 3. The presence of the cross-race effect was in the opposite direction as predicted for some measures in both phases. The practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Abstract
Participants. Sixty Black and 60 Hispanic participants from a large southeastern university
Design. A 2 (Participant-Witness Race: Black vs. Hispanic) x 2) x 2 Witness-Face Relationship (Own vs. Other) mixed factorial design was used.
Materials.
15 Black and 15 Hispanic target faces wearing street clothes (see examples)
Wolgalter’s (1996) cued recall form
A variant of PC_Eyewitness was used to display the target face and collect responses to the cued recall form.
Procedure. Participants were told that they would be viewing a target face and would be asked to describe it later. They viewed the target face for 3 seconds, completed a 60 second visual distractor task, and then completed the Wogalter (1996) cued recall form. They completed this process for a second target face. Each participant described 1 Black and 1 Hispanic face.
Phase 1 Method
Procedures. Participants took part in a mockwitness paradigm. They were shown a description of the target and a lineup (both generated in previous phases) and were asked to select the target from the lineup. Each participant performed this task for 60 lineups.
Phase 3 Method cont.
Hispanic Stimuli
African-American Stimuli
Procedures. Participants were assigned to a match-to-description or a match-to-suspect condition and asked to create a 6-person lineup for 1 Black and 1 Hispanic face. Those assigned to the match-to-description condition were asked to select fillers based upon a description of the target while those assigned to the match-to-suspect condition were asked to select fillers based upon a picture of the target.
Phase 2 Method cont.
Measures of lineup bias (suspect selections and suspect bias) and lineup size (Tredoux’s E) were calculated.
Lineup Bias
There were fewer suspect selections and greater negative bias when the lineup was constructed with the match-to-description technique.
Lineup Size
Tredoux’s E was larger when there was a cross- race relationship between the mock witness and the lineup constructor and when there was a cross- race relationship between the lineup constructor and the original witness.
Phase 3 Results
Hispanics viewed more potential foils as own- race lineup constructors than other-race lineup constructors.
Hispanics took longer to make foil decisions with other-race faces than own race faces.
All participants took longer to make foil decisions in the match-to-description condition than the match-to-suspect condition.
Own-race suspects were placed in the lineup in Position 5 significantly more often than expected.
Other-race suspects were placed in Position 1 significantly more often than expected.
Phase 2 Results
The cross-race effect (CRE) refers to the tendency for people to be better at identifying members of their own race than members of another race
Research suggests the CRE may be due to less skill in processing other race faces, and this may influence more than just identification of other race faces
Facial processing is involved in all aspects of the lineup construction process:
Witness description
Lineup construction
Assessments of lineup fairness
Relatively little research has been conducted to examine the influence of race on these stages of the lineup construction process or on the method of lineup construction (match-to-suspect or match-to-description).
This series of studies was designed to examine:
the influence of the CRE on each stage of the lineup construction process
potential additive or carryover effects of the CRE from one stage of the lineup construction process to the next
potential influences of the CRE on lineup construction techniques
In order to best examine the CRE within these studies, the variables were defined as the race relationship between the particular variable of interest and the race of each target face.
Introduction
The responses to the cued recall were analyzed for accuracy and total number of details by 2 coders of the same race as the target face.
There were no significant differences in accuracy of details or number of details for own- or other- race faces made by Black or Hispanic participants.
Phase 1 Results
Cross-Race Effect
Influenced lineup construction process measures, particularly for majority group
Influenced estimates of lineup size with interactions
Further research is needed on quality of descriptors given the fact that there were no significant differences in the descriptions in Phase 1, but were significant effects of witness race in Phase 3
Lineup Construction Method
Influenced process measures (e.g., number of foils viewed, average response time).
Influenced estimates of lineup bias.
Discussion
Participants. Same participants as Phase 1
Design. A 2 (Participant Race: Hispanic v. Black) x 2 (Lineup Constructor-Face Relationship: Own- vs. Other) x 2 (Witness-Face Relationship: Own- vs. Other) x 2 (Construction Technique: Match-to- Suspect v. Match-to-Description) mixed factorial design was used.
Materials.
15 Black and 15 Hispanic target faces w/ non- smiling facial expression and burgundy-colored sweatshirts (see examples)
A computer program was developed to display the target information (face or description), the database of potential fillers, and lineup evaluation questions, as well as record the fillers selected, response time, and responses to the lineup evaluation questions.
Phase 2 Method
Participants. Eighty-four Black and 84 Hispanic participants from a large southeastern university.
Design. A 2 (Participant Race: Black vs. Hispanic) x 2 (Mock witness-Face Relationship: Own vs. Other) x 2 (Witness-Face Relationship: Own vs. Other) x 2 (Lineup Constructor-Face Relationship: Own vs. Other) x 2 (Lineup Construction Method: Match-to-Suspect v. Match-to-Description) mixed factorial design was used.
Materials.
240 lineups created in Phase 2
A variant of PC_Eyewitness was used to display a description of the targets and related lineups.
Phase 3 Method
This dissertation was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant # SES ) awarded to the dissertation advisor, Dr. Christian A Meissner. I would like to thank Otto MacLin for his assistance in developing the software used in these studies.
For further information, please contact: Tara Mitchell