System Variables
Definition
Factors in the identification process that are within the control of the criminal justice system, including lineup administration, instructions, and feedback policies. Contrasted with estimator variables by Gary Wells (1978).
Related terms
- Cross-Race Effect
- The empirical finding that own-race identifications are more accurate than cross-race identifications (Meissner and Brigham meta-analysis, 2001), with practical implications for lineup...
- Estimator Variables
- Factors present at the time of the crime that affect encoding accuracy but cannot be retrospectively controlled, including weapon focus, cross-race effect,...
- Misinformation Effect
- The incorporation of misleading post-event information into the original memory trace, documented by Loftus and Palmer (1974) and subsequent studies. Distinguished from...
- Post-Identification Feedback Effect
- The inflation of witness confidence, perceived viewing quality, and retrospective memory detail following confirming feedback from an investigator. Documented by Wells and...
- R V. Turnbull Warning
- A mandatory judicial warning in English and Welsh Crown Court proceedings when the case depends substantially on identification evidence, requiring the jury...
- Reconstructive Memory
- The psychological model of memory as a constructive process shaped by schemas, expectations, and post-event information, rather than a fixed recording. Foundational...
- Weapon Focus Effect
- The reduced encoding of a perpetrator's face when a weapon is present, attributable to attentional narrowing toward the threat-relevant stimulus (Steblay meta-analysis,...
Explained in
- Eyewitness Testimony: Loftus and the Innocence Project DataFactors in the identification process that are within the control of the criminal justice system, including lineup administration, instructions, and feedback p...