>> NORMAN ANDERSON: Hi, I'm Dr. Norman Anderson,
CEO of the American Psychological Association.
Welcome to "This is Psychology."
Chances are, you've seen a TV show where a
witness picks a criminal out of a lineup with
relative ease.
Or maybe you've seen a movie where a prosecuting
attorney asks a witness in a courtroom to
point out the killer, which the witness does
with relative confidence.
You might be surprised to learn that psychological
research has demonstrated that witness identifications
are wrong 33 percent of the time.
Further psychological research has shown that
juries tend to over-believe eyewitness testimony.
There are a number of reasons why eyewitness
testimony is so unreliable.
Our memories don't function with the efficiency
of video recorders, and empirical research
has shown that memory erodes over time, which
further complicates eyewitness testimony.
Also, eyewitnesses may experience stress by
being exposed to a crime, and may only see
a perpetrator a short period of time, which
also has a negative impact on the accuracy
of their recollection.
In addition, eyewitnesses are less accurate
at identifying perpetrators of a race different
from their own.
In fact, one study of 5,000 witnesses found
that different-race identifications were 56
percent more likely to be wrong than same-race
identifications.
In short, there is a significant body of psychological
research that calls into question the heavy
reliance of law enforcement and the courts
on eyewitness testimony.
Based on this research, the American Psychological
Association has filed two "friend of the court"
briefs in criminal cases that turned on eyewitness
testimony.
One of those cases was argued in the U.S.
Supreme Court this year.
The other is pending in the Pennsylvania Supreme
Court.
APA's Office of General Counsel works with
psychological experts and outside attorneys
in preparing these briefs in cases involving
issues on which psychology has relevant knowledge
or information to share with the court.
You can read more about this process, as well
as the actual briefs, on our website at apa.org.
Thanks for watching "This is Psychology."
