Influence of others on cross-race identifications: social facilitation and the cross-race effect

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2017-10-26

Department

Towson University. Department of Psychology

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Subjects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine how the presence of an audience affects same and cross-race identifications from a lineup. Our participants completed both same-race and other-race simultaneous lineups. Participants completed these lineups either in the presence of others or in a room alone. We found that other-race identifications produced less accuracy and less confidence than same-race identifications. While less accurate and less confident, other race identifications required a longer amount of time to respond to than same-race identifications. Although these findings provide additional support for the cross-race effect, they were also limited. Additional data can improve the scope of these findings. Despite these limitations, the findings provide evidence of the cross-race effect in simultaneous lineup identifications. Together, these findings can inform the criminal justice system on the disparities of cross-race lineup identifications.