The perceived validity of eyewitness identification testimony: a test of the five Biggers criteria.

The U.S. Supreme Court has outlined five criteria on which evaluations of eyewitness identifications should be based (certainty, view, attention, description, and time; Neil v. Biggers, 1972). We postulated that certainty plays a qualitatively different role from the four other Biggers criteria in evaluations of eyewitness identification testimony. Specifically, we hypothesized that participants would ignore reports on other criteria when certainty was high (the certainty-trumps hypothesis), but not when certainty was low. Participants (N = 386) read a fictitious trial transcript in which three of the five Biggers criteria were manipulated (certainty, view, and attention, or certainty, description, and time) and completed a questionnaire. The certainty-trumps hypothesis was not supported. Instead, the Biggers criteria combined only as main effects, not interactions, supporting a summative hypothesis. Surprisingly, collateral effects indicated that manipulations of one criterion (e.g., certainty) affected perceptions of other criteria (e.g., attention and view) and vice versa. Implications of the results are discussed.

A technique for performing transesophageal echocardiography in patients with Zenker's diverticulum.

A patient with a large Zenker's diverticulum and narrow, angulated passageway successfully underwent transesophageal echocardiography using a pediatric endoscope, short esophageal overtube, and a pediatric transesophageal echocardiographic probe.

From the lab to the police station. A successful application of eyewitness research.

The U.S. Department of Justice released the first national guide for collecting and preserving eyewitness evidence in October 1999. Scientific psychology played a large role in making a case for these procedural guidelines as well as in setting a scientific foundation for the guidelines, and eyewitness researchers directly participated in writing them. The authors describe how eyewitness researchers shaped understanding of eyewitness evidence issues over a long period of time through research and theory on system variables. Additional pressure for guidelines was applied by psychologists through expert testimony that focused on deficiencies in the procedures used to collect the eyewitness evidence. DNA exoneration cases were particularly important in leading U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to notice the eyewitness literature in psychology and to order the National Institute of Justice to coordinate the development of national guidelines. The authors describe their experience as members of the working group, which included prosecutors, defense lawyers, and law enforcement officers from across the country.

Trait aggressiveness and hockey penalties: predicting hot tempers on the ice.

Previous studies examining the validity of measures of trait aggressiveness either have been retrospective studies or have used laboratory aggression as the criterion behavior. Can a measure of trait aggressiveness predict nonlaboratory physical aggression? The Physical Aggression subscale of the Aggression Questionnaire was completed by 91 high school hockey players prior to the start of the season. At the end of the season, these trait aggressiveness scores were regressed on minutes in the penalty box for aggressive penalties (e.g., fighting, slashing, tripping) and minutes in the penalty box for nonaggressive penalties (e.g., delay of game, illegal equipment, too many players). As expected, preseason trait aggressiveness scores predicted aggressive penalty minutes (r = .33) but not nonaggressive penalty minutes (r = .04).

Congenital heart disease in infants with Down's syndrome.

Medical records of 118 newborn infants with Down's syndrome were reviewed to document the types of congenital heart disease (CHD) in those having echocardiography. Of 102 infants having echocardiography, 49 (48%) had heart defects; 47 of these had trisomy 21 and 2 had unbalanced translocation karyotypes. Of the 53 (52%) who did not have heart defects, all had trisomy except 1 with a mosaic karyotype and 1 with a translocation karyotype. The most common heart malformation was an atrioventricular canal, followed in frequency by ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus, and tetralogy of Fallot. Benefits of echocardiography in such infants are early detection of CHD, with aggressive management to prevent future complications, and reassurance to parents if the infant does not have CHD.