Eyewitness credibility assessments in criminal proceedings: how much psychology is there in a legal task?

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-09-17T03:10:14Z
dc.abstract.enThis study aimed to investigate the legal credibility assessment of eyewitness testimonies in criminal proceedings, with particular attention to the criteria used by courts to assess eyewitness credibility and the factors that influence the number of criteria in the assessment. It also investigated whether judicial credibility assessment is subject to bias. We conducted a case record analysis of criminal cases (N = 381), wherein a total of 3210 eyewitnesses were interviewed at trial. The analysis revealed that legal credibility assessment seems superficial – courts evoke a small number of criteria to justify their judgments and tend to cite only a few despite individual differences in testimonies and eyewitnesses. The legal assessment of eyewitness credibility is influenced by numerous procedural and individual (for the eyewitnesses) factors; our analysis showed that this is subject to certain biases. The practical implications of these results are discussed along with avenues for future research.
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii w Katowicach
dc.contributor.authorKabzińska, Joanna
dc.contributor.authorSzafrańska, Michalina
dc.contributor.authorJastrzębska, Marcelina
dc.date.access2025-06-04
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-16T12:31:31Z
dc.date.available2025-09-16T12:31:31Z
dc.date.created2024-11-18
dc.date.issued2025-06-04
dc.description.abstract<jats:p>This study aimed to investigate the legal credibility assessment of eyewitness testimonies in criminal proceedings, with particular attention to the criteria used by courts to assess eyewitness credibility and the factors that influence the number of criteria in the assessment. It also investigated whether judicial credibility assessment is subject to bias. We conducted a case record analysis of criminal cases (N = 381), wherein a total of 3210 eyewitnesses were interviewed at trial. The analysis revealed that legal credibility assessment seems superficial – courts evoke a small number of criteria to justify their judgments and tend to cite only a few despite individual differences in testimonies and eyewitnesses. The legal assessment of eyewitness credibility is influenced by numerous procedural and individual (for the eyewitnesses) factors; our analysis showed that this is subject to certain biases. The practical implications of these results are discussed along with avenues for future research.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2015/19/D/HS5/01241
dc.description.granttitleRola psychologii w procesie podejmowania decyzji przez zawodowych uczestników postępowania karnego
dc.description.physical311-333
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume140
dc.identifier.doi10.4467/12307483PFS.24.019.21618
dc.identifier.eissn2720-5983
dc.identifier.issn1230-7483
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/1789
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://ejournals.eu/czasopismo/problems-of-forensic-sciences/artykul/eyewitness-credibility-assessments-in-criminal-proceedings-how-much-psychology-is-there-in-a-legal-task
dc.languageen
dc.languagepl
dc.language.otherpl
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enEyewitness credibility assessment
dc.subject.enEyewitness credibility
dc.subject.enEyewitness testimony
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleEyewitness credibility assessments in criminal proceedings: how much psychology is there in a legal task?
dc.title.alternativeOcena wiarygodności zeznań naocznych świadków w postępowaniu karnym: jak wiele jest psychologii w ocenie prawnej?
dc.title.journalProblems of Forensic Sciences
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle