An evaluation of eyewitness decision making strategies for simultaneous and sequential lineups

Two studies examined decision making strategies with respect to simultaneous and sequential lineups. Study one manipulated the similarity of fillers, target presence and order of target across the two traditional lineup styles. Lineup style did not influence identification decisions as predicted however, similarity emerged as an influential factor in decision making. In addition, order effects were observed in both lineup styles. Study two attempted to remove the effects of similarity and target placement from identification decisions by manipulating traditional simultaneous and sequential lineups. Results show a decreased influence of similarity and target placement on identification decisions however, differences across lineup styles emerged. Both studies also examined identification decisions with respect to how they influence phenomenological judgments. In addition, participants' perceptions of their decision making strategies and their confidence-accuracy calibrations will be discussed.