True Crimes and Mistaken Eyewitnesses: “Whodunnits” and How Psychological Science Changed Our Understanding of Eyewitness Identification Evidence

A True Crime ISU Series Lecture

Confident eyewitness identification testimony in court has long been highly persuasive to judges and jurors. Starting in the late 1970s, however, lab-based experiments by psychological scientists started uncovering highly troubling concerns with eyewitness identification evidence. The legal system largely ignored this growing eyewitness science until mid-1990s when forensic DNA testing was developed and used to exonerate large numbers of innocent people who were convicted by juries. Approximately 70% of these DNA exonerations involved mistaken eyewitness identifications and Wells uses some cases he has been involved with that illustrate key problems. Wells then describes the progress made by psychological scientists in helping the legal system improve ways to collect, preserve, and interpret eyewitness identification evidence and how this has changed crime investigator and courtroom practices.

Gary L. Wells is an internationally recognized research psychologist whose work has shaped how legal systems handle eyewitness evidence. For decades he has combined laboratory research, field studies, policy work, and direct training for police, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges. Wells has authored over 150 scientific articles, received major national awards (including lifetime achievement recognition), led federal and national panels (including Department of Justice), secured substantial funding from NSF and other agencies, and disseminated his findings to the public via mass media (e.g., New York Times, 60 Minutes). Courts and law enforcement agencies frequently consult him on improving identification procedures.

This lecture recording can be found on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.