Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure?

Photo identifications are the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure and are the main reason behind increases in cases of mistaken identities. The main reason behind this revolves around poor encoding of information at the time of perception. This is influenced by a myriad of factors such as distance between the eyewitness and the event, poor lighting conditions, and duration of exposure at the time of perception. The second reason as to why photo identifications are the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure is faulty memory. “Memory has several quirks such as low resolution, the tendency for memories to be constructed so that missing information is supplied from expectations/biases or from an external source and systematic perceptual distortions in memory, which affect reliability.” Last is the procedures used in identifications and lineups.

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Academic.Tips. (2022) 'Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure'. 6 May.

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Academic.Tips. (2022, May 6). Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure? https://academic.tips/question/why-are-photo-identifications-the-most-unreliable-eyewitness-identification-procedure/

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Academic.Tips. 2022. "Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure?" May 6, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/why-are-photo-identifications-the-most-unreliable-eyewitness-identification-procedure/.

1. Academic.Tips. "Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure?" May 6, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/why-are-photo-identifications-the-most-unreliable-eyewitness-identification-procedure/.


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Academic.Tips. "Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure?" May 6, 2022. https://academic.tips/question/why-are-photo-identifications-the-most-unreliable-eyewitness-identification-procedure/.

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"Why are photo identifications the most unreliable eyewitness identification procedure?" Academic.Tips, 6 May 2022, academic.tips/question/why-are-photo-identifications-the-most-unreliable-eyewitness-identification-procedure/.

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