LEWISTON — The Great Falls Forum series continues Thursday, Oct. 19, with Amy Bradfield Douglass, professor of psychology at Bates College. Her talk is titled “Eyewitness Identification: Causes of Errors and Suggestions for Reform.”

The program will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library.

Douglass has taught psychology at Bates since 2001. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and a doctoral degree from Iowa State University. Her research is at the interface of psychology and law.

In particular, she studies how eyewitnesses to crimes make incorrect identifications and how to reduce those errors. Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council. She has testified as an expert witness for the defense in state and federal courts throughout New England.

In her Great Falls Forum presentation, Douglass will present science-based recommendations for conducting lineups and photo spreads. She’ll discuss how psychological scientists study eyewitness identification, how reforms have been put in practice, and recent court decisions related to eyewitness identification evidence. In addition, she will talk about some of the court cases she has been involved with.

Admission is free to all forums and no reservations are required. The event includes a bring-your-own, brown-bag lunch. Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available at the library.

The Great Falls Forum speaker series is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal. The library is at Lisbon and Pine streets. FMI: 513-3135 or LPLreference@gmail.com.  

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