Date of Award
Spring 5-5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Forensic Psychology
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Steven Penod
Second Reader
Kelly McWilliams
Third Advisor
Dilhan Toredi
Abstract
Eyewitnesses are frequently asked to describe culprits following a crime, but how accurate and complete are such descriptions? This study examined eyewitness description completeness and accuracy by investigating estimator variables (Race and Gender), reflector variables (Confidence and Response Time), and elicitation methods (Free Recall and Prompted Recall). Participants viewed one mock-crime video featuring a culprit who varied in race (White or Black) and gender (Female or Male), then provided free recall descriptions followed by prompted descriptions of facial features. Prompted recall improved completeness beyond free recall, though with a minor reduction in accuracy. Descriptions were more complete for same-race and same-gender culprits than for cross-race and cross-gender culprits, while accuracy remained unaffected. Higher confidence predicted both greater completeness and accuracy, whereas longer response times predicted greater completeness only. These findings indicate that estimator variables shape eyewitness descriptions and that reflector variables may signal description completeness and accuracy.
Recommended Citation
Mundra, Sakshi, "Estimator and Reflector Variables in Eyewitness Recall" (2026). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/381
