The Elderly Eyewitness in Court

The majority of research on eyewitness memory has traditionally studied children and young adults. By contrast, this volume is designed to provide an overview of empirical research on the cognitive, social, and health related factors that impact the accuracy of eyewitness testimony given by the elderly.

The book takes a lifespan developmental perspective that incorporates research on witnesses of all ages, but uses the findings to focus on issues unique to the elderly. This includes research on recognition memory with lineup identifications and recall memory that occurs when an elderly witness is asked to describe an event in court. The Elderly Eyewitness also examines jurors’ reactions to the testimony of an elderly witness, and the legal and social policy issues that emerge when the elderly witness participate in legal proceedings. While reviewing what is known about the elderly witness, the book also provides a direction for future research into this new frontier of scientific inquiry.

Its audience spans researchers in cognitive and developmental psychology, and professionals working in the growing area of psychology and law.

Michael P. Toglia, Ph.D., is a Professor and Chair of Psychology at the University of North Florida. From 2003-2011, he was Executive Director of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC). He has published extensively on eyewitness memory issues, has peer-reviewed nearly 500 articles/chapters, and has frequently testified in court. A former Fulbright grant recipient, he is a Fellow in American Psychological Science, Midwestern Psychological Association, and two divisions of American Psychological Association.

David F. Ross, Ph.D., is a UC Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dr. Ross is interested in factors that influence the accuracy of lineup identification accuracy and how jurors perceive eyewitness testimony. Dr. Ross has received funding for his research from the National Institute of Science and the Department of Justice. He has also published five edited volumes on the psychology of eyewitness testimony, written numerous articles in top-tier journals in psychology including several law reviews, and he provides training to law enforcement on how to collect identification evidence and is an instructor at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Dr. Ross also has served as a trial consultant for nearly 25 years, assisting attorneys with jury selection, mock trials, witness preparation, and trial strategy.

Joanna Pozzulo, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University, Ontario, Canada. Borrowing from developmental, social, and cognitive psychology, her research focuses on the identification abilities of child eyewitnesses. Dr. Pozzulo is interested in understanding the identification processes eyewitnesses engage and the best identification procedures to be used by police in order to obtain the most accurate identification evidence. Both Dr. Pozzulo’s research and teaching has received numerous awards. She has co-authored textbooks in "forensic psychology" for both the Canadian and American student. In addition, Dr. Pozzulo has written over 50 peer-reviewed articles and chapters.

Emily Pica, MS. is a Ph.D. student at Carleton University in Department of Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology. In 2012, Ms. Pica was one of only four PhD candidates at Carleton University who was awarded the highly prestigious Trillium Scholarship. She was also given a highly prestigious award for teaching from the Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology. Ms. Pica graduated with her M.S. from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Department of Psychology where she conducted research on factors that impact eyewitness memory in adults with a special emphasis on the cross-race effect in lineup identification.