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A Stab in the Dark /
A stab in the Dark - PRE-PRINT
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Description: Two essential estimator variables in eyewitness identification research are distance and light. Prior research shows that increased distance and decreased light result in less correct identifications. However, the combined effect of these estimator variables is unknown. The aim of the present study was to establish the maximum distance in low lux (lx) where an eyewitness’s later identification is no longer reliable. Our experimental design included an identification task with eight live targets, presented at eight separate distances (6-20 meters) and three lx conditions (high: 300 lx, medium: 10 lx, low: 0.7 lx). Participants (N = 178; 1318 identifications) were randomized to one of the three lx conditions where they observed eight targets (one at a time), each followed by an 8-person simultaneous target present line-up (i.e., .125 probability of choosing the target correctly by chance). We found that correct identifications decreased with increased distance in all lx conditions. At 20 meters the likelihood of correct identifications was .53 in the high lx condition, .41 in the medium lx condition and .11 in the low lx condition. These findings suggest that reliable eyewitness identifications are not possible as a result of observations made in low lighting (0.7 lx) at 20 meters.