The Effect of Camera Angle and Investigator Bias on Observer Perceptions of Eyewitness Identification

Investigator bias is an ongoing problem in police interrogations and eyewitness identification. Recently, videotaping these processes has been suggested to combat this problem. Participants watched an eyewitness identification video depicting an interaction between an investigator and witness. Following the video the participants answered questions designed to tap observers’ perception of the lineup, the witness, and the investigator. Three variables were manipulated. Participants either saw a female or a male witness. Participants either saw a video with a biased or non-biased investigator. Participants viewed this interaction from one of three camera angles: witness focused, investigator focused, and equal focused. Results of this study provided evidence that observers are capable of recognizing investigator bias when present regardless of camera angle or witness gender