Eyewitnesses Experts and Jurors: Improving The Quality of Jury Decision Making in Eyewitness Cases
In recent years it has been increasingly common for criminal defense attorneys to challenge the reliability of eyewitness identifications through the introduction of expert psychological testimony concerning problems of eyewitness identification. The acceptance of expert psychological testimony on issues associated with eyewitness memory is source of heated debate (McCloskey & Egeth, 1986). Much of the debate centers around three issues raised by lawyers and psychologists who oppose the introduction of expert eyewitness testimony: (1) is there a adequate scientific base of knowledge upon which to base expert testimony; (2) is psychological knowledge about eyewitness memory beyond the ken of the jury; and (3) what are the effects of expert psychological testimony on jury decision making? In this essay we report the results of several studies we and our colleagues have conducted in an effort to answer these questions. The Quality of the Research on which Expert Testimony is Based Some psychologists doubt that the existing body of research and theory on human memory...