Pozzulo, J. Dempsey, J., Bruer, KC.
and Sheahan C (2011) The culprit in target-absent lineups:
understanding young children’s false positive responding, Journal of Police and Criminal
Psychology, 27(1): 55-62
Eyewitness:
A person who has personally seen something happen and so can give a first-hand description of it.
Mistaken identity:
The mistake of identifying someone as someone else, or identifying someone as having committed a
crime when they are not the perpetrator. For example, a witness mistakenly identifying the wrong
person in a police line-up as the person who robbed a convenience store.
False positive responding:
The tendency to identify someone as the perpetrator of a crime or the target of an identification
task when they are not the actual perpetrator or target. For example, a child selecting the wrong
person from a line-up of suspects because they are similar in appearance to the actual perpetrator.
Young children:
Children aged 4 to 7 years old. For example, the participants in Pozzulo et al.'s study who were
recruited from pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes.
Adults:
People aged 17 to 30 years old. For example, the participants in Pozzulo et al.'s study who were
recruited from an introductory psychology participant pool at a university.
Target-absent line-ups:
A line-up of suspects in which the actual perpetrator or target is not included. For example, a line-up
of four foils and no target in Pozzulo et al.'s study.
Target-present line-ups:
A line-up of suspects in which the actual perpetrator or target is included. For example, a line-up of
three foils and one target in Pozzulo et al.'s study.
Human faces:
The faces of people. For example, the human target and foil photographs used in Pozzulo et al.'s
study.
Cartoon characters:
Imaginary characters in animated television shows or movies. For example, the cartoon target and
foil photographs used in Pozzulo et al.'s study.
Eyewitness identification:
The process of identifying a person or object based on visual observation. For example, a witness
identifying the perpetrator of a crime from a line-up of suspects.
Cognitive development:
The process of developing mental abilities such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. For
example, the cognitive development of young children compared to adults in Pozzulo et al.'s study.
Familiarity:
The level of exposure or experience that a person has with a particular object, task, concept, or
person. For example, a person may have a high level of familiarity with their favourite brand of
cereal because they have been eating it for years.
Forensic psychology:
The application of psychological principles and research to the legal system, including areas such as
eyewitness testimony, criminal profiling, and jury selection. For example, a forensic psychologist may
be asked to evaluate the reliability of an eyewitness's testimony in a criminal trial.
Memory:
The mental process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information. For example, a person may use
their memory to remember the name of a new acquaintance or the details of a recent event.
Recognition:
The ability to identify or recall something previously encountered or learned. For example, a person
may recognize a familiar face in a crowd or recognize the solution to a problem they have
encountered before.