An eyewitness identified Ashtok from a lineup as the man who robbed the bookstore.As an employee of the store,Ashtok was present during the crime but was not the person who committed the crime.Which of the following was the most likely cause of the eyewitness's false identification?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The eyewitness could have been biased by Ashtok's mere presence during the crime, leading to a familiarity-induced bias. This bias can lead the eyewitness to falsely identify a familiar person as the culprit, even if that person didn't commit the crime. The other options do not apply in this scenario - the leniency bias refers to a tendency to judge someone more favorably than warranted, the misinformation effect refers to being influenced by false information after the fact, and the fundamental attribution error refers to attributing someone's behavior to their personality rather than external circumstances.

An Eyewitness Identified Ashtok from a Lineup as the Man