The Impact of Disguise on Eyewitness Identification Decisions, Accuracy, and Confidence: An Experimental Study Using Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOS)

Eyewitness identification is central to criminal investigations, yet it is vulnerable to error, particularly when perpetrators use disguises. This experimental study examined how different types and degrees of disguise and lineup procedures influence eyewitness identification decisions, accuracy, and confidence, and how these relate to experiential knowledge as indexed by Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOS). Thirty adult participants of African descent viewed a mock crime and then completed multiple lineup tasks under three disguise conditions (no disguise, bleached skin, white bucket hat) and two lineup types (simultaneous, sequential). BEOS was used to record electrophysiological signatures during presentation of neutral, autobiographical (control), and crime-related probes, focusing on Primary Processing (PP), Inattention (I), Encoding (EN), Emotional Response (ER), Activation–Suppression (AS), and Experiential Knowledge (EK). Behaviourally, increasing disguise coverage reduced identification accuracy, with simultaneous lineups producing more correct identifications and sequential lineups more correct rejections.
Confidence generally decreased as disguise increased, indicating some metacognitive sensitivity to encoding quality, though choice rates did not decline as steeply as accuracy. BEOS data showed robust EK responses for autobiographical and critical crime probes, and complex patterns of PP, EN, I, and AS across scenarios. ANOVA analyses revealed significant relationships between PP and Inattention and between EN and EK in key scenarios. The findings suggest that disguise impairs both accuracy and confidence, that witnesses are partially aware of this impairment, and that BEOS can capture experiential knowledge associated with observed events. Implications for lineup procedures, the interpretation of eyewitness confidence, and the integration of neurocognitive evidence in forensic practice are discussed.

Forensic Psychology

1. Akers, R. L. (1991). Self-control as a general theory of crime. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 7, 201–211. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akers, R. L., & Sellers, C. S. (2009). Criminological theories: Introduction, evaluation, and application (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bondi, & McConkey. (1995). [On stocking disguises and recognition]. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Cutler, B., & Penrod, S. (1995). Mistaken identification: The eyewitness, psychology, and the law. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Fisher, R., & Geiselman, R. (1992). Memory-enhancing techniques for investigative interviewing: The cognitive interview. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Hancock, P., Bruce, V., & Burton, A. (2000). Recognition of unfamiliar faces. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. McKelvie, S. (2006). The effect of eyeglasses on face recognition. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Mukundan, C. R. (1998, 2003). Development of Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Shapiro, P., & Penrod, S. (2005). Meta-analysis of factors affecting eyewitness identification. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Wells, G. L. (2009). Eyewitness identification. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Wells, G. L., Small, M., Penrod, S., Malpass, R., Fulero, S., & Brimacombe, C. (2003). Eyewitness identification procedures: Recommendations for lineups and photospreads. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Wells, G. L., & Luus, C. A. (2000). Lineups as experiments: Social methodology for studying eyewitness identification. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study