Research Methods

Methods II Preview Assignment

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Abstract

Two studies looked at eyewitness confidence in lineup studies. In study one, 551 undergraduate

participants saw a picture of a target “suspect”. They then viewed an eight person lineup that

altered the lineup instructions (they were told the target was either present, might be present, or

they were not given any information, though in reality the target “suspect” was always missing).

The authors predicted that participants would both choose a suspect and be more confident in

their choice when told the target was present compared to the other two conditions. Results

confirmed this prediction. In study two, 337 participants also received either the target present or

might not be present instructions, though they were given a lineup that differed in size (eight

versus four members). Like study one, participants in the target present condition chose and were

more confident in their choice than participants in the target might be present condition, but only

when given an eight person lineup. This implies that telling someone that a person is present in a

lineup can lead them to find a suspect, but only if they have a lot of lineup choices.

Keywords: target present, target absent, simultaneous lineups, confidence

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Commented [L4]: The student wrote this in 189 words! It’s a lot of information in a short amount of space, so make sure to edit it a lot to get all relevant information in place.

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Commented [L8]: Make sure to include at 3-5 EFFECTIVE keywords, that is, when writing keywords, you must think what words you could have in helping someone find your research. Independent variables, experimental design, hypotheses… are NOT good keywords.