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Analysis of
the reliability of eyewitness evidence.
(Wells)
In the course of a criminal trial, eyewitness identification testimony can provide compelling evidence against a defendant. However, an eyewitness identification is not merely an issue of recognition memory. In fact, in the same way that experimenters can influence how research participants respond, police investigators can influence how eyewitnesses respond. For example, research has shown that the person conducting a lineup can influence witnesses to identify an innocent person and influence witnesses recollections of how confident they were when they made their identification. Our research concerns these issues, and in fact has resulted in several changes in the way that law enforcement agencies across the country collect and use eyewitness evidence.