Page 28 - Veritas

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Inference:
Inference:
Does the method of questioning affect the rate of misidentification?

When we compare Figure B and Figure C, Figure C has a lower rate of
misidentification by 5%.

Does race play a role in misidentification?

From the combined results of Figure B and Figure C of Experiment 2, the
rate of misidentification is found to be 89.5% which is 6.5% lesser than

the rate of misidentification found in Figure A of Experiment 1.

Is eyewitness testimony reliable?
The combined rate of misidentification from Experiment 1 and Experi-

ment 2 is found to be 91.7%. Only 8.3% of people gave the correct re-
sponse.

Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Our research was conducted to test the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
We concluded that the polar method of questioning decreases the rate of

misidentification and people are less likely to misidentify suspects if they
are of their own race. However, in conclusion, we can reiterate that eye-

witness testimony is not reliable.

Reference:
Reference:
• McLeod, S. A. (2010). Loftus and Palmer. Simply Psychology, 23-34.

https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145028

Myth - When an unknown fingerprint is uploaded to the com-
puter, the match will be found in seconds.

Fact - The computer only contains data and fingerprints of
people who were previously arrested or fingerprinted as part

of a crime. Fingerprint matching using softwares like AFIS
(Automated Fingerprint Identification System) usually takes

anywhere between a few hours to a few days.

VERITAS 13