Face Perpetrator Essay

Question: How do the conditions under which an eyewitness sees a perpetrator during a crime influence their identification of the suspect? What conditions are likely to contribute to an inaccurate identification?
Answer:
The ability to identify the faces of others is key to social development. When one walks into a room full of people, one of the first things he or she does is look for faces with which he or she is familiar. Knowing the general and specific features of peoples’ faces is how we confidently recognize our friends, family, teachers, those whom we are close with, and less readily identify those we interact with on an infrequent basis, such as the Dean of a university. As the textbook illustrates, the ability to recognize someone’s face is crucial in the event of a crime. The issue is, will someone know that a crime is being or has been committed before he or she gets a chance to observe the face perpetrator of said crime? One may not realize …show more content…
In the example provided in the textbook, one is waiting for a bus going from Chicago to New York when he is approached by a man in a Chicago Bears hat. This man politely asks for the victim’s wallet while subtly presenting a gun. Generally, most people would hand over the wallet without hesitation. Why? There are several facets and estimator variables at play here. In this specific scenario, the mere stress and anxiety provoked by such an encounter and the presentation of a deadly weapon are just two of the several possible variables that would detract from the only asset you have essential in the report of the crime; a clear image of the offender’s face. Is it likely that you would be able to recall the features of someone’s face when they are waving a gun at you? Not likely. This is the principle of the weapon focus effect, where the presence of a weapon diverts a victim’s attention away from key elements and details of a