In a live lineup, which characteristic matching should fillers have for reliability?

• A. The lineup should include six pictures with a similar background
• B. The lineup should have different looking backgrounds
• C. The lineup should be sequential with two pictures shown at a time
• D. The lineup should display all six at once

Answer: (A)

Ensuring reliability in a live lineup hinges on removing any cues unrelated to the suspect’s face. When the six photos have a similar background, extraneous differences—like scenery, lighting, or color—don’t stand out and distract the witness. This way, the witness’s identification is driven by facial features, not by background cues, which reduces the risk of false identifications and improves the lineup’s validity.

Options that use different backgrounds would reintroduce those distracting cues, making it easier for a witness to be influenced by something other than facial similarity. The ideas about presenting two pictures at a time (sequential) or showing all six at once pertain to how the lineup is presented, not to how fillers are matched; they don’t address the essential need to keep background appearance consistent across fillers.