This analysis reveals how social media influences eyewitness memory, suggesting that familiarity may compromise police lineup integrity.
Before running a police lineup, find out if the eyewitness has attempted their own investigation and searched for potential suspects on social media. Social media searches can alter eyewitness memory and reduce the reliability of identification evidence from police lineups. When an innocent suspect in the lineup is familiar to the eyewitness from social media, theeyewitness can develop a false sense of confidence.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Kruisselbrink et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: