When Eyewitnesses Are Also Earwitnesses: Effects on Visual and Voice Identifications

Authors

Hunter A. McAllister, Southeastern Louisiana University
Robert H.I. Dale, Butler UniversityFollow
Norman J. Bregman, Virginia Commonwealth University
Allyssa McCabe, University of Massachusetts - Lowell
C. Randy Cotton, University of Southern Mississippi

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1993

Publication Title

Basic and Applied Social Psychology

First Page

161

Last Page

170

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15324834basp1402_3

Abstract

In Experiment 1, subjects witnessed a mock crime either visually or both auditorily and visually. A visual lineup was conducted with either a guilty or an innocent suspect present. Identification accuracy of visual-only versus auditory-visual witnessed did not differ, although the diagnosticity ratio for the visual-only condition was more than twice as large. Thus, there was only limited support for auditory information interfering with encoding visual information. In Experiment 2, subjects witnessed a mock crime either auditorily or both auditorily and visually. A voice lineup was conducted with either a guilty or an innocent suspect present. Consistent with Yarmey’s (1986) prediction that visual information can interfere with encoding auditory information, guilty-suspect identification was significantly higher in the auditory-only condition.

Rights

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published in the Journal of Social Psychology in 1993, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1207/s15324834basp1402_3.

Recommended Citation

McAllister HA, Dale RHI, Bregman NJ, McCabe A, & Cotton CR. (1993). When Eyewitnesses Are Also Earwitnesses: Effects on Visual and Voice Identifications. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 14(2), 161-170. doi: 10.1207/s15324834basp1402_3. Available from: http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/358