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Undermining position effects in choices from arrays, with implications for police lineups

Palmer, Matthew A.
; 
Sauer, James
; 
Holt, Glenys
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Affiliation
University of Tasmania; University of Chester
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Publication Date
2017-03
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Psychology
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Abstract
Choices from arrays are often characterized by position effects, such as edge-aversion. We investigated position effects when participants attempted to pick a suspect from an array similar to a police photo lineup. A reanalysis of data from 2 large-scale field studies showed that choices made under realistic conditions—closely matching eyewitness identification decisions in police investigations—displayed edge-aversion and bias to choose from the top row (Study 1). In a series of experiments (Studies 2a–2c and 3), participants guessing the location of a suspect exhibited edge-aversion regardless of whether the lineup was constructed to maximize the chances of the suspect being picked, to ensure the suspect did not stand out, or randomly. Participants favored top locations only when the lineup was constructed to maximize the chances of the suspect being picked. In Studies 4 and 5, position effects disappeared when (a) response options were presented in an array with no obvious center, edges, or corners, and (b) instructions stated that the suspect was placed randomly. These findings show that position effects are influenced by a combination of task instructions and array shape. Randomizing the location of the suspect and modifying the shape of the lineup array may reduce misidentification.
Citation
Palmer, M. A., Sauer, J. D., & Holt, G. A. (2017). Undermining position effects in choices from arrays, with implications for police lineups. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 23(1), 71-84.
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Journal
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
Research Unit
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10034/621082
DOI
10.1037/xap0000109
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PubMed Central ID
Type
Article
Language
en
Description
©American Psychological Association, 2017. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. Please do not copy or cite without author's permission. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000109
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ISSN
1076-898X
EISSN
1939-2192
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http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxap0000109