Improving decision-making in the criminal justice system: The effect of teaching aids on the evaluation of eyewitness evidence

Judges, jurors and other triers of fact often rely upon eyewitness evidence in criminal trials, but eyewitness memory is not always accurate and can sometimes be contaminated. The I-I-Eye (Pawlenko, Safer, Wise, & Holfeld, 2013) is an evidence-based teaching aid designed to improve the evaluation of eyewitness evidence in legal settings. In this project, we aim to further test the effectiveness of the I-I-Eye and examine whether adding an active component to this teaching aid improves the evaluation of eyewitness testimony. Two independent samples will be recruited, one comprising law students and legal professionals (n = 222) and the other comprised of the general population (n = 222). In a between-subjects design, participants will receive a passive, active, or control teaching aid and afterwards give a verdict on a mock trial. The mock trial will consist of an eyewitness giving a testimony and the eyewitness will provide either weak or strong evidence in their testimony. The main analysis will focus on the interaction effect between the teaching aid condition and case strength on the verdict decisions given. The results should clarify the extent to which the I-I-Eye teaching aid assists potential decision-makers in the evaluation of eyewitness evidence. Notably, the findings will also indicate whether including an active component in the I-I-Eye framework improves legal professionals’ assessments of eyewitness accuracy in criminal cases.