Eyewitness confidence may not be ready for the courts: a reply to Wixted et al. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Berkowitz, Shari R.; Garrett, Brandon L.; Fenn, Kimberly M.; Loftus, Elizabeth F.
• Is Part Of: Memory. Volume 30:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 75
• Page End: 76
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Confidence and accuracy -- eyewitness memory -- eyewitness identification -- DNA exonerations -- wrongful convictions; Memory -- Periodicals; 153.1205
• DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2021.1952271
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0965-8211

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Wixted et al. (in press. Doing right by the eyewitness evidence: A response to Berkowitz et al. Memory ) remind us that they are aware of some conditions in which confidence does not trump all but suggest that initial high-confidence errors should be rare. In this reply, we draw attention to new lab research that continues to cast doubt on the value of an initial eyewitness identification made with high confidence. Additional data from field studies of police lineups lead us to conclude that it is far too risky in real-world cases to assume that eyewitnesses who have high initial confidence are also highly accurate. As a final point, we dispute Wixted et al.'s interpretation of "initial low confidence" in the DNA exoneration cases.