LSAT Explanation PT 29, S4, Q17: Studies of the reliability of eyewitness

LSAT Question Stem

Which one of the following is a principle underlying the advice given to police officers? 

Logical Reasoning Question Type

This is a Principle question. 

Correct Answer

The correct answer to this question is A. 

LSAT Question Complete Explanation

Let's first break down the argument in the passage. The passage states that there is little correlation between the accuracy of a witness's account and the confidence the witness has in the account. This is a premise. It then mentions that certain factors can increase or undermine a witness's confidence without altering the accuracy of the identification, which is another premise. Based on these premises, the passage concludes that police officers are advised to disallow suspect lineups in which witnesses can hear one another identifying suspects. This is the conclusion of the argument.

Now, let's create an "Evaluate" question for this argument. A suitable question would be: "Do the factors that affect a witness's confidence also affect the witness's accuracy in identifying suspects when they can hear one another?"

The question type of this problem is Principle, which means we need to identify the principle underlying the advice given to police officers.

Let's analyze the answer choices:

a) The confidence people have in what they remember having seen is affected by their awareness of what other people claim to have seen.

This answer choice directly relates to the conclusion of the argument. It states that the confidence of witnesses can be influenced by what others claim to have seen. This principle supports the advice given to police officers to disallow suspect lineups where witnesses can hear one another, as it implies that such situations could affect the confidence of the witnesses without necessarily improving the accuracy of their identifications. This is the correct answer.

b) Unless an eyewitness is confronted with more than one suspect at a time, the accuracy of his or her statements cannot be trusted.

This answer choice introduces a new concern about the connection between the accuracy of witness statements and the number of suspects a witness is confronted with at a time, which is not relevant to the argument presented in the passage. This answer choice is incorrect.

c) If several eyewitnesses all identify the same suspect in a lineup, it is more likely that the suspect committed the crime than if only one eyewitness identifies the suspect.

This answer choice doesn't connect to the ideas in the passage and brings up another issue of the likelihood that the suspect committed the crime as it is affected by multiple identifications. The passage is focused on individual witnesses' confidence levels, so this answer choice is incorrect.

d) Police officers are more interested in the confidence witnesses have when testifying than in the accuracy of that testimony.

This answer choice contradicts the passage, which states that confidence is not a reliable indicator of accuracy. It wouldn't make sense for police officers to be more interested in confidence over accuracy. This answer choice is incorrect.

e) The accuracy of an eyewitness account is doubtful if the eyewitness contradicts what other eyewitnesses claim to have seen.

This answer choice is not connected to the passage, which is focused on the accuracy of an individual's identification and the factors that affect a witness's confidence. This answer choice is incorrect.

In conclusion, the correct answer is A, as it provides the principle underlying the advice given to police officers and connects the premises to the conclusion of the argument.