Selecting foils for identification lineups: Matching suspects or descriptions?

Two experiments directly compare two methods of selecting foils for identif ication lineups. The suspect-matched method selects foils based on their ma tch to the suspect, whereas the description-matched method selects foils ba sed on their match to the witness's description of the perpetrator Theoreti cal analyses and previous results predict an advantage for description-matc hed lineups both in terms of correctly identifying the perpetrator and mini mizing false identification of innocent suspects. The advantage for descrip tion-matched lineups should be particularly pronounced if the foils selecte d in suspect-matched lineups ave too similar to the suspect. In Experiment I, the lineups were created by trained police officers, and in Experiment 2 , the lineups were constructed by undergraduate college students. The resul ts of both experiments showed higher suspect-to-foil similarity for suspect -matched lineups than for description-matched lineups. However, neither exp eriment showed a difference in correct or false identification rates. Both experiments did however show that there may be an advantage for suspect-mat ched lineups in terms of no-pick and rejection responses. From these result s, the endorsement of one method over the other seems premature.