Bias in Photospreads of Faces: A Comparison of Two Lineup Construction Methods

Abstract

Recent research suggests that the current method of lineup construction produces biased or suggestive lineups. Earlier studies used face composite stimuli to assemple the lineups. The present study uses more realistic materials, actual face photographs. Ten pairs of subjects constructed photospread lineups using the traditional method of selecting lineup members who are similar in appearance to the suspect. Another ten pairs of subjects constructed lineups using an alternative construction method. The lineups were then given to a separate group of subjects who had never seen the photographs before and were asked to try to select the face that was the basis for each lineup. The results showed that traditional lineup constuction method produced bias towards the target/suspect. The alternative construction method produced less bias, but not significantly less than the traditional method. These results have implications for law enforcement personnel concerned with the construction and presentation of lineups.

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