When eyewitnesses view a simultaneous lineup, they tend to compare people in the lineup with one another and then identify the person who most looks like their mental image of the criminal. To remedy this situation, lineups should be:

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Administering lineups sequentially, where each person is presented one at a time, reduces the likelihood of eyewitnesses comparing people in the lineup and choosing the person who looks most like the perpetrator, as well as reducing the possibility of false identifications. This is because it forces the witness to focus on each person individually, and compare them to their memory of the perpetrator, rather than to each other in the lineup.

When Eyewitnesses View a Simultaneous Lineup, They Tend to Compare