What is the visual identification method used to identify suspects from photos?

• A. PTSD Risk
• B. Witness Interview
• C. Perceptual Narrowing
• D. Photo Lineups

Answer: (D)

The visual identification from photos relies on a photo lineup. In this method, a witness is shown a set of photographs of people, including the person suspected of the crime, and asked to identify who best matches the perpetrator’s appearance. This approach directly uses recognition from images to link a suspect to the incident.

To make identifications more reliable, lineups use fillers—people who resemble the suspect—to avoid making the suspect stand out, and the administrator should be blind to which photo is the suspect to prevent unintentional cues. The lineup can be shown all at once or one photo at a time (sequential vs. simultaneous), and the witness’s confidence and any noted hesitations are typically recorded.

Other options aren’t the method for identifying suspects from photos: PTSD risk relates to trauma effects, not identification; a witness interview is a broader process for gathering information and not specifically the photo-identification method; perceptual narrowing describes how attention can become focused under stress, which can affect identification accuracy but isn’t the method itself.