Limitations of Expert Psychology Testimony on Eyewitness Identification

This chapter examines the limitations of psychological testimony on eyewitness identification. In generalizing from laboratory research to actual cases, consideration must be given to several issues, including 1) the extent to which the procedures or psychological processes that instantiate variables in the laboratory occur outside of the laboratory; 2) whether the background conditions of laboratory studies are diverse enough to warrant gross application; 3) whether testifying about a given factor provides incremental validity over traditional safeguards; and 4) whether real world and laboratory eyewitnesses are comparable. The chapter also questions whether experts should include DNA exoneration cases in their testimony.