B2985 - The Psychology of Eyewitness Testimony

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, the students:

- understand the visual mechanisms underlying face processing and recognition;

-understand the characteristics of visual memory that affect the ability to recognize the defendant's face;

 - understand the main methods of constructing a lineup and the different techniques used in forensic settings for suspect identification.

Course contents

Introduction to the psychology of eyewitness testimony

Why eyewitnesses fail

Illustrations from scientific articles highlighting internal factors influencing eyewitness performance (e.g., stress, confidence, cross-race bias, individual differences)

Instances from scientific literature showcasing external factors impacting the accuracy of eyewitnesses (e.g., passage of time, exposure duration, distance, weapon focus, lighting, disguise/changed appearance, misinformation, simultaneous vs. sequential lineups)

Face perception and models of face recpgnition

 

Readings/Bibliography

- Slides
- Scientific articles

Note: Currently, there is no textbook available in Italian on these topics. The instructor will use articles in English related to the topics.

Teaching methods

The module consists of 3 ECTS credits, equivalent to 24 hours of face-to-face lectures.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist of a multiple-choice test covering all the topics of the course.

There will be 31 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 31 minutes. The scoring will be as follows: +1 point for each correct answer, 0 points for each incorrect or unanswered question.

Teaching tools

- Course slides
- Scientific articles
- Course-related videos from YouTube

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Pavan