Faculty Publications

On the general acceptance of confessions research: Opinions of the scientific community.

Academic Journal

Kassin, Saul M.; Redlich, Allison D.; Alceste, Fabiana; & Luke, Timothy J.American Psychologist, Vol 73(1), Jan 2018, 63-80; Abstract: Eighty-seven experts on the psychology of confessions—many of whom were highly published, many with courtroom experience—were surveyed online about their opinions on 30 propositions of relevance to deception detection, police interrogations, confessions, and relevant general principles of psychology. As indicated by an agreement rate of at least 80%, there was a strong consensus that several findings are sufficiently reliable to present in court. This list includes but is not limited to the proposition that the risk of false confessions is increased not only by explicit threats and promises but by 2 common interrogation tactics—namely, the false evidence ploy and minimization tactics that imply leniency by offering sympathy and moral justification. Experts also strongly agreed that the risk of undue influence is higher among adolescents, individuals with compliant or suggestible personalities, and those with intellectual impairments or diagnosed psychological disorders. Additional findings indicated that experts set a high standard before judging a proposition to be sufficiently reliable for court—and an even higher standard on the question “Would you testify?” Regarding their role as scientific experts, virtually all respondents stated that their primary objective was to educate the jury and that juries are more competent at evaluating confession evidence with assistance from an expert than without. These results should assist trial courts and expert witnesses in determining what aspects of the science are generally accepted and suitable for presentation in court. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Cognitive Bias and Blindness: A Global Survey of Forensic Science Examiners

Academic Journal

Kukucka, J., Kassin, S. M., Zapf, P. A., & Dror, I. E. (2017). Cognitive Bias and Blindness: A Global Survey of Forensic Science Examiners. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 452-459; Abstract: Exposure to irrelevant contextual information prompts confirmation-biased judgments of forensic science evidence (Kassin, Dror, & Kukucka, 2013). Nevertheless, some forensic examiners appear to believe that blind testing is unnecessary. To assess forensic examiners’ beliefs about the scope and nature of cognitive bias, we surveyed 403 experienced examiners from 21 countries. Overall, examiners regarded their judgments as nearly infallible and showed only a limited understanding and appreciation of cognitive bias. Most examiners believed they are immune to bias or can reduce bias through mere willpower, and fewer than half supported blind testing. Furthermore, many examiners showed a bias blind spot (Pronin, Lin, & Ross, 2002), acknowledging bias in other domains but not their own, and in other examiners but not themselves. These findings underscore the necessity of procedural reforms that blind forensic examiners to potentially biasing information, as is commonplace in other branches of science.

Psychological perspectives on interrogation

Academic Journal

Vrij, A., Meissner, C. A., Fisher, R. P., Kassin, S. M., Morgan, C. A., & Kleinman, S.M. (2017). Psychological

 perspectives on interrogation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12, 927-955; Abstract: Proponents of “enhanced interrogation techniques” in the United States have claimed that such methods are necessary for obtaining information from uncooperative terrorism subjects. In the present article, we offer an informed, academic perspective on such claims. Psychological theory and research shows that harsh interrogation methods are ineffective. First, they are likely to increase resistance by the subject rather than facilitate cooperation. Second, the threatening and adversarial nature of harsh interrogation is often inimical to the goal of facilitating the retrieval of information from memory and therefore reduces the likelihood that a subject will provide reports that are extensive, detailed, and accurate. Third, harsh interrogation methods make lie detection difficult. Analyzing speech content and eliciting verifiable details are the most reliable cues to assessing credibility; however, to elicit such cues subjects must be encouraged to provide extensive narratives, something that does not occur in harsh interrogations. Evidence is accumulating for the effectiveness of rapport-based information-gathering approaches as an alternative to harsh interrogations. Such approaches promote cooperation, enhance recall of relevant and reliable information, and facilitate assessments of credibility. Given the available evidence that torture is ineffective, why might some laypersons, policymakers, and interrogation personnel support the use of torture? We conclude our review by offering a psychological perspective on this important question.

The Psychological Science of Racial Bias and Policing.

Academic Journal

Swencionis, Jillian K.; Goff, Phillip Atiba; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law Publisher: American Psychological Association; Abstract: What can the social psychology of racial bias teach us about the potential for racial bias in policing? Because social psychological research is mostly laboratory based and rarely includes police officers, direct generalizability is limited. However, social psychology has identified robust risk factors that make individuals more likely to engage in disparate treatment—even without overt prejudice. This article maps these situational risk factors to common experiences in modern patrol policing. Specifically, we identify the following situations common to patrol policing as risk factors that make bias more likely to result in discrimination: discretion, novice status, crime focus, cognitive demand, and identity threats. Where possible, we also review studies that include officers, and take place in policing-relevant contexts. With the map provided in this article, we exhort psychologists to translate previous laboratory findings to field settings to advance the practice of democratic policing and expand the science of bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

False confessions: How can psychology so basic be so counterintuitive?

Academic Journal

Kassin, Saul M. American Psychologist, Vol 72(9), Dec 2017, 951-964; Abstract: Recent advances in DNA technology have shined a spotlight on thousands of innocent people wrongfully convicted for crimes they did not commit—many of whom had been induced to confess. The scientific study of false confessions, which helps to explain this phenomenon, has proved highly paradoxical. On the one hand, it is rooted in reliable core principles of psychology (e.g., research on reinforcement and decision-making, obedience to authority, and confirmation biases). On the other hand, false confessions are highly counterintuitive if not inconceivable to most people (e.g., as seen in actual trial outcomes as well as studies of jury decision making). This article describes both the psychology underlying false confessions and the psychology that predicts the counterintuitive nature of this same phenomenon. It then notes that precisely because they are so counterintuitive, false confessions are often “invisible,” resulting in a form of inattentional blindness, and are slow to change in the face of contradiction, illustrating belief perseverance. This article concludes by suggesting ways in which psychologists can help to prevent future miscarriages of justice by advocating for reforms to policy and practice and helping to raise public awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Spatial language, question type, and young children’s ability to describe clothing: Legal and developmental implications.

Academic Journal

Stolzenberg, Stacia N.; McWilliams, Kelly; Lyon, Thomas D.; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 41(4), Aug, 2017 pp. 398-409. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Children’s descriptions of clothing placement and touching with respect to clothing are central to assessing child sexual abuse allegations. This study examined children’s ability to answer the types of questions attorneys and interviewers typically ask about clothing, using the most common spatial terms (on/off, outside/inside, over/under). Ninety-seven 3- to 6-year-olds were asked yes/no (e.g., 'Is the shirt on?'), forced-choice (e.g., 'Is the shirt on or off?'), open-choice (e.g., 'Is the shirt on or off or something else?'), or where questions (e.g., 'Where is the shirt?') about clothing using a human figurine, clothing, and stickers. Across question types, children generally did well with simple clothing or sticker placement (e.g., pants completely on), except for yes/no questions about 'over,' suggesting children had an underinclusive understanding of the word. When clothing or sticker placement was intermediate (e.g., pants around ankles, and therefore neither completely on nor off), children performed poorly except when asked where questions. A similar task using only stickers and boxes, analogous to forensic interviewers’ assessments of children’s understanding, was only weakly predictive of children’s ability to describe clothing. The results suggest that common methods of questioning young children about clothing may lead to substantial misinterpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

A room with a view: Setting influences information disclosure in investigative interviews.

Academic Journal

Dawson, Evan; Hartwig, Maria; Brimbal, Laure; Denisenkov, Philipp; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 41(4), Aug, 2017 pp. 333-343. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Research on embodied cognition and priming show that human behavior is influenced nonconsciously by the environment in metaphoric ways. Previous research has shown that conceptual priming can lead people to disclose sensitive information (Davis, Soref, Villalobos, & Mikulincer, 2016; Dawson, Hartwig, & Brimbal, 2015). Here, we sought to examine whether concepts of openness can be activated to promote disclosure within the interview itself, through the physical setting. In two laboratory studies, participants were exposed to details of a mock environmental terrorism conspiracy through a courier task, which they were subsequently interviewed about in different settings. In Study 1, participants were interviewed in either a room designed to activate openness, or a prototypically enclosed, bare custodial interview room. In Study 2, we manipulated both architectural and interior features of both rooms. Challenging the status quo that a small room is optimal for investigative interviewing, our findings offer compelling evidence that the spaciousness of an interview room can influence a person’s tendency to be 'open' with or 'closed' about information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Influence of social factors on the relation between lie-telling and children’s cognitive abilities.

Academic Journal

Talwar, Victoria; Lavoie, Jennifer; Gomez-Garibello, Carlos; Crossman, Angela M.; Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol 159, Jul, 2017 pp. 185-198. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: Lie-telling may be part of a normative developmental process for children. However, little is known about the complex interaction of social and cognitive factors related to this developmental behavior. The current study examined parenting style, maternal exposure to stressors, and children’s cognitive abilities in relation to children’s antisocial lie-telling behavior in an experimental setting. Children (3–6years, N = 157) participated in a modified temptation resistance paradigm to elicit spontaneous lies. Results indicate that high authoritative parenting and high inhibitory control interact to predict a lower propensity to lie, but those who did lie had better semantic leakage control. This suggests that although children’s lie-telling may be normative during early development, the relation to children’s cognitive abilities can be moderated by responsive parenting behaviors that discourage lying. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Police reports of mock suspect interrogations: A test of accuracy and perception.

Academic Journal

Kassin, Saul M.; Kukucka, Jeff; Lawson, Victoria Z.; DeCarlo, John; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 41(3), Jun, 2017 pp. 230-243. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: A 2-phased experiment assessed the accuracy and completeness of police reports on mock interrogations and their effects on people’s perceptions. In Phase 1, 16 experienced officers investigated a mock crime scene, interrogated 2 innocent suspects—1 described by the experimenter as more suspicious than the other—and filed an incident report. All 32 sessions were covertly recorded; the recordings were later used to assess the reports. In Phase 2, 96 lay participants were presented with a brief summary of the case and then either read 1 police report, read 1 verbatim interrogation transcript, or listened to an audiotape of a session. Results showed that (a) Police and suspects diverged in their perceptions of the interrogations; (b) Police committed frequent errors of omission in their reports, understating their use of confrontation, maximization, leniency, and false evidence; and (c) Phase 2 participants who read a police report, compared to those who read a verbatim transcript, perceived the process as less pressure-filled and were more likely to misjudge suspects as guilty. These findings are limited by the brevity and low-stakes nature of the task and by the fact that no significant effects were obtained for our suspicion manipulation, suggesting a need for more research. Limitations notwithstanding, this study adds to a growing empirical literature indicating the need for a requirement that all suspect interrogations be electronically recorded. To provide a more objective and accurate account of what transpired, this study also suggests the benefit of producing verbatim transcripts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

The killing of Kitty Genovese: What else does this case tell us?

Academic Journal

Kassin, Saul M.; Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol 12(3), May, 2017 pp. 374-381. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Well known in popular culture, the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York, became famous because not one of an alleged 38 bystanders called police until it was too late. Within psychology, this singular event inspired the study of bystander intervention. With the spotlight of history focused on Ms. Genovese and bystanders, other events, also profound for what they tell us about human social behavior, have escaped public notice. Based on archival records and current interviews, this article describes the three issues linked to Genovese. First, three false confessions, taken from two individuals, led to their wrongful convictions and imprisonment. One of these individuals was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Miranda v. Arizona (1966); the other individual is alive and well and wants to clear his name. Second, the narrative of the unresponsive bystander was initiated by police, not by journalists, in response to probing questions about one of these confessions. Finally, there is the ironic fact, which somehow has slipped through the cracks, that the killer of Genovese was ultimately captured as a result of the intervention of two bystanders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

 

The effects of the hypothetical putative confession and negatively valenced yes/no questions on maltreated and nonmaltreated children’s disclosure of a minor transgression.

Academic Journal

Stolzenberg, Stacia N.; McWilliams, Kelly; Lyon, Thomas D.; Child Maltreatment, Vol 22(2), May, 2017 pp. 167-173. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: This study examined the effects of the hypothetical putative confession (telling children ‘‘What if I said that [the suspect] told me everything that happened and he said he wants you to tell the truth?’’) and negatively valenced yes/no questions varying in their explicitness (‘‘Did the [toy] break?’’ vs. ‘‘Did something bad happen to the [toy]?’’) on two hundred and six 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children’s reports, half of whom had experienced toy breakage and had been admonished to keep the breakage a secret. The hypothetical putative confession increased the likelihood that children disclosed breakage without increasing false reports. The yes/no questions elicited additional disclosures of breakage but also some false reports. The less explicit questions (referencing ‘‘something bad’’) were as effective in eliciting true reports as the questions explicitly referencing breakage. Pairing affirmative answers to the yes/no questions with recall questions asking for elaboration allowed for better discrimination between true and false reports. The results suggest promising avenues for interviewers seeking to increase true disclosures without increasing false reports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Fair lineups are better than biased lineups and showups, but not because they increase underlying discriminability.

Academic Journal

Smith, Andrew M.; Wells, Gary L.; Lindsay, R. C. L.; Penrod, Steven D.; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 41(2), Apr, 2017 pp. 127-145. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis has recently come in vogue for assessing the underlying discriminability and the applied utility of lineup procedures. Two primary assumptions underlie recommendations that ROC analysis be used to assess the applied utility of lineup procedures: (a) ROC analysis of lineups measures underlying discriminability, and (b) the procedure that produces superior underlying discriminability produces superior applied utility. These same assumptions underlie a recently derived diagnostic-feature detection theory, a theory of discriminability, intended to explain recent patterns observed in ROC comparisons of lineups. We demonstrate, however, that these assumptions are incorrect when ROC analysis is applied to lineups. We also demonstrate that a structural phenomenon of lineups, differential filler siphoning, and not the psychological phenomenon of diagnostic-feature detection, explains why lineups are superior to showups and why fair lineups are superior to biased lineups. In the process of our proofs, we show that computational simulations have assumed, unrealistically, that all witnesses share exactly the same decision criteria. When criterial variance is included in computational models, differential filler siphoning emerges. The result proves dissociation between ROC curves and underlying discriminability: Higher ROC curves for lineups than for showups and for fair than for biased lineups despite no increase in underlying discriminability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

When school-shooting media fuels a retributive public: An examination of psychological mediators.

Academic Journal

O'Toole, Megan J.; Fondacaro, Mark R.; Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, Vol 15(2), Apr, 2017 pp. 154-171. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Despite evidence suggesting proactive responses to youth crime are advantageous, juvenile justice relies heavily on punitive practices. This discrepancy is in part affected by public preferences for retribution, which are skewed by sensationalized media portrayals of youth crime. This experiment (N = 174) explores how youth crime media exposure translates into retributive attitudes by testing the hypothesis that media portrayals of school shootings increase retributive attitudes indirectly through either dehumanization or mortality salience. Statistical analyses suggest that dehumanization mediates the relationship between school-shooting media portrayals and retributive attitudes toward crime-involved youths. To promote support of less retributive juvenile justice policies, advocates may benefit by focusing emphasis on humanizing elements of young offenders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

A multidimensional approach to ascertaining individual differentiation and consistency in serial sexual assault: Is it time to redefine and refine?

Academic Journal

Sorochinski, Marina; Salfati, C Gabrielle; Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Publisher: Springer; Abstract: Whilst investigative use of behavioural evidence to help link and solve serial offences has long been in use, the empirical and theoretical grounds for whether and how to use this evidence effectively have begun to emerge only in recent decades. The present study empirically tested (a) the potential for effectively differentiating between rape offence crime scenes using quantitative and qualitative distinctions within the behavioural dimensions of control, violence, and sexual activity, and (b) the extent to which redefining behavioural consistency more broadly to include dynamic trajectories of behavioural change may be more effective than limiting this definition to behavioural stability. Results confirmed that sexual offences can be successfully differentiated based on the specific degree and subtype of these behavioural dimensions present in each crime scene. The analysis of consistency and behavioural trajectories showed that whilst none of the offenders exhibited complete consistency across behavioural dimensions, a subsample of offenders remained fully consistent in at least one. Furthermore, of those who were not consistent, the vast majority followed an identifiable trajectory of change. Findings are discussed in the context of psychological theories of behavioural consistency as well as practical aspects of advancing the utility of behavioural linkage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Comparing the effectiveness of Henderson instructions and expert testimony: Which safeguard improves jurors’ evaluations of eyewitness evidence?

Academic Journal

Jones, Angela M.; Bergold, Amanda N.; Dillon, Marlee Kind; Penrod, Steven D.; Journal of Experimental Criminology, Vol 13(1), Mar, 2017 pp. 29-52. Publisher: Springer; [Journal Article] Abstract: Objectives: The New Jersey Supreme Court recently determined that jurors may not be able to effectively evaluate eyewitness evidence on their own. As a result, the Court proposed the use of judicial instructions to assist jurors (called Henderson instructions) and suggested the implementation of these instructions would reduce the need for expert testimony. We tested the efficacy of these instructions compared to alternative instructions and expert testimony. Methods: We utilized a mock trial paradigm, randomly assigning 452 participants to 1 of 20 videotaped trial conditions that varied the quality of eyewitness evidence (both witnessing and identification conditions) and the type of safeguard presented during the mock trial. Results: Jurors were sensitive to the quality of identification conditions on their own. Jurors were more likely to convict when identification conditions were good and less likely when identification conditions were poor. This relationship was mediated by eyewitness credibility ratings. Expert testimony resulted in skepticism by reducing the likelihood that jurors would convict regardless of the quality of witnessing and identification conditions. No variation of the instructions influenced verdicts. Conclusions: While jurors were sensitive to the quality of identification conditions on their own, we observed no such effect for the quality of witnessing conditions, even with the aid of instructions and/or expert testimony. Both Henderson instructions and expert testimony may be insufficient for assisting jurors to effectively evaluate problematic witnessing conditions. Future research should examine the use of alternative safeguards. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Wrongful acquittals of sexual abuse.

Academic Journal

Lyon, Thomas D.; Stolzenberg, Stacia N.; McWilliams, Kelly; Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol 32(6), Mar, 2017 pp. 805-825. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Comment/Reply] Abstract: Ross Cheit’s book The Witch-Hunt Narrative highlights the difficulties of prosecuting child sexual abuse. Drawing examples from a single case, Alex A., we examine the ways in which false acquittals of sexual abuse are likely to occur. First, prosecutors tend to question children in ways that undermine their productivity and credibility. Second, prosecutors have difficulty in explaining to juries the dynamics of sexual abuse and disclosure, making children’s acquiescence to abuse and their failure to disclose when abuse first occurs incredible. Third, attorneys undermine children’s credibility by pushing them to provide difficult to estimate temporal and numerical information. A post-script to the Alex A. case illustrates the costs of wrongful acquittals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Polite, instrumental, and dual liars: Relation to children’s developing social skills and cognitive ability.

Academic Journal

Lavoie, Jennifer; Yachison, Sarah; Crossman, Angela; Talwar, Victoria; International Journal of Behavioral Development, Vol 41(2), Mar, 2017 pp. 257-264. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Lying is an interpersonal exercise that requires the intentional creation of a false belief in another’s mind. As such, children’s development of lie-telling is related to their increasing understanding of others and may reflect the acquisition of basic social skills. Although certain types of lies may support social relationships, other types of lies are considered antisocial in nature. The goal of this study was to compare several possible correlates, such as cognitive ability and children’s behavior patterns, that may be associated with children’s (N = 133) use of lies in socially acceptable versus socially unacceptable ways. Children engaged in two lie-telling paradigms: one to measure socially accepted (polite) lies and one to measure socially unaccepted (instrumental) lies. Results indicate that instrumental liars were young with low theory of mind (ToM) scores and had high social skills. Polite liars were the oldest, had high ToM, and had similar levels of social skills as instrumental liars. Truth-tellers and dual liars had lower social skills and moderate ToM in comparison to the instrumental and polite liars. These findings suggest that children use lies selectively to achieve their social goals, and also suggest that children’s lying behavior may change from being self-motivated to being other-motivated as they age, which may reflect socialization toward socially accepted behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

High cognitive load during cross-examination: Does it improve detection of children's truths and lies?

Academic Journal

Saykaly, Christine; Crossman, Angela; Talwar, Victoria; Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, Vol 24(2), Mar, 2017 pp. 278-291. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: The current study used a high cognitive load cross-examination procedure to determine whether this would improve undergraduate students’ ability to detect deception in children aged 9 to 12 years. The participants (n = 88) were asked to determine whether children's accounts of an event included a true denial, false denial, true assertion or false assertion about a game played during a home visit occurring one week prior. Overall, the high cognitive load cross-examination did not improve detection rates, in that participants were at chance level for both direct examination (49.4%) and cross-examination (52.3%). Accuracy for true stories was greater than for false stories. Cross-examination improved the detection rates of the false stories, but worsened the accuracy for the true stories. The participants did however rate younger children's true reports to be more credible and believable than their false reports. Participants rated older children's false reports as more credible and believable than their true reports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

'Miranda at 50: A psychological analysis': Corrigendum.

Academic Journal

Smalarz, Laura; Scherr, Kyle C.; Kassin, Saul M.; Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol 26(1), Feb, 2017 pp. 94. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Erratum/Correction] Abstract: Reports an error in 'Miranda at 50: A psychological analysis' by Laura Smalarz, Kyle C. Scherr and Saul M. Kassin (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2016[Dec], Vol 25[6], 455-460). In Table 1 of this article, the fifth prong of the Miranda warning was incorrect. The corrected table is provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-59400-014 ). In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a controversial ruling in Miranda v. Arizona, which required police to inform suspects, prior to custodial interrogation, of their constitutional rights to silence and to counsel. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Miranda, we present a psychological analysis of the Court’s ruling. We show how the Court’s assumption that the provisions of the Mirandaruling would enable suspects to make knowing, intelligent, and voluntary decisions regarding whether to invoke or waive their constitutional rights has not been borne out by scientific research. Hence, we argue that even well-adjusted, intelligent adults are at risk of succumbing to police pressure during custodial interrogation. We conclude with policy implications and directions for future Miranda research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

A mega-analysis of memory reports from eight peer-reviewed false memory implantation studies.

Academic Journal

Scoboria, Alan; Wade, Kimberley A.; Lindsay, D. Stephen; Azad, Tanjeem; Strange, Deryn; Ost, James; Hyman, Ira E.; Memory, Vol 25(2), Feb, 2017 pp. 146-163. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Understanding that suggestive practices can promote false beliefs and false memories for childhood events is important in many settings (e.g., psychotherapeutic, medical, and legal). The generalisability of findings from memory implantation studies has been questioned due to variability in estimates across studies. Such variability is partly due to false memories having been operationalised differently across studies and to differences in memory induction techniques. We explored ways of defining false memory based on memory science and developed a reliable coding system that we applied to reports from eight published implantation studies (N = 423). Independent raters coded transcripts using seven criteria: accepting the suggestion, elaboration beyond the suggestion, imagery, coherence, emotion, memory statements, and not rejecting the suggestion. Using this scheme, 30.4% of cases were classified as false memories and another 23% were classified as having accepted the event to some degree. When the suggestion included self-relevant information, an imagination procedure, and was not accompanied by a photo depicting the event, the memory formation rate was 46.1%. Our research demonstrates a useful procedure for systematically combining data that are not amenable to meta-analysis, and provides the most valid estimate of false memory formation and associated moderating factors within the implantation literature to date. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Assumptions underlying behavioural linkage revisited: Ascertaining individual differentiation and consistency in serial rape.

Book

Sorochinski, Marina; Salfati, C. Gabrielle; In: Psychology and law in Europe: When West meets East. Granhag, Pär Anders (Ed); Bull, Ray (Ed); Shaboltas, Alla (Ed); Dozortseva, Elena (Ed); Publisher: CRC Press; 2017, pp. 51-78. [Chapter] Abstract: This chapter presents an overview of a methodological reconceptualisation of the basic constructs that underpin behavioural linking in serial crime. Study 1 reframed the previously identified types of rape as behavioural dimensions and used quantitative (degree of behaviour present) and qualitative (style of behaviour present) variants within those dimensions to differentiate between crime scenes. Study 2 aimed to test a redefined understanding of consistency in offending behaviour where, instead of only looking for behavioural stability (i.e. where offenders are expected to exhibit the same behaviours from one crime to the next), a progression of behaviour along identifiable trajectories (e.g. changing in degree through escalation, de-escalation or switching between subtypes of behaviour) along the aforementioned behavioural dimensions is seen as a form of dynamic consistency that can potentially be utilised for linking crimes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Introduction: An overview.

Book

Kovera, Margaret Bull; In: The psychology of juries. Kovera, Margaret Bull (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2017, pp. 3-8. [Chapter] Abstract: There are long-held beliefs that trial by jury is the superior method for the resolution of disputes, both between the government and its citizens and between citizens. The jury was deemed so important by the founders of the United States of America that the right to a jury was guaranteed in three of the 10 amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Juries serve as an important check against government officials who might try to overreach with their authority (Amar, 1991). The criminal jury, a right guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment, has the power to acquit a defendant who they believe is being prosecuted with unreliable or manufactured evidence or to acquit when they believe the law broken is unconstitutional. And the Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a civil jury. Because of the centrality of the jury to many of the protections afforded to U.S. citizens under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, it is crucial to understand whether the jury functions as it is intended. In the interest of reinvigorating jury scholarship, this volume collects the thoughts of a number of esteemed jury scholars in response to two general questions: What are some important areas of inquiry that have been overlooked by jury researchers, and what methods should researchers rely on when studying those questions? The structure of the book reflects these two motivating questions, with a set of chapters devoted to each question. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

The effects of collaborative remembering on trial verdicts.

Book

Hirst, William; Stone, Charles B.; In: The psychology of juries. Kovera, Margaret Bull (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2017, pp. 37-57. [Chapter] Abstract: One critical way by which the legal system can prevent inaccurate decisions on the part of the jury is to better understand the mnemonic dynamics underlying jury deliberation. Jurors are faced with the task of moving from the evidentiary phase of a trial, in which a vast array of evidence is presented, often without any coherent order to the presentation, to deliberation and a subsequent consensus around a particular verdict, guided in large part by their recollection of the presented evidence. The courts are largely reluctant to use mnemonic technology to aid jurors in recollecting the presented evidence. The reluctance of U.S. courts to allow jurors to use mnemonic aids reflects a long-standing assumption. Indeed, the U.S. courts have largely assumed that the collaborative nature of remembering during deliberation will lead to more accurate and complete recollections than might be expected if remembering occurred in isolation or with the help of mnemonic technology. Despite the courts’ resistance to technology and, in particular, their staunch support for the reliability of human collective memory, the extant evidence from psychological studies of collaborative remembering suggests that this reliance on collaborative remembering as a path to accurate memory is misplaced. Collaborative remembering can (a) block members of the group from remembering something that they might remember on their own, (b) lead to the spread of misleading information, and (c) induce collective forgetting (see Hirst & Echterhoff, 2012, for a review). Rather than producing a more accurate and complete memory, collaboration can lead to inaccurate and incomplete memories. In this chapter, we focus on how conversational influences during jury deliberation may shape the memories jurors have of the trial and, in turn, their verdicts. In particular, we examine whether jury deliberation hinders the construction of a coherent rendering of the evidence that is shared across jurors and whether the resulting rendering fully captures the presented evidence. However, before delving into the mnemonic consequences of collaborative remembering, let us first consider the standard model for how jurors reach a decision, the story model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Conclusion: The future of jury research.

Book

Kovera, Margaret Bull; In: The psychology of juries. Kovera, Margaret Bull (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2017, pp. 287-297. [Chapter] Abstract: Throughout this volume, leading jury scholars have identified what they view as gaps in our knowledge of jury behavior and have made recommendations for closing these gaps. For some of the authors, the gaps are substantive. Researchers have failed to pursue certain important lines of inquiry that would flesh out our understanding of jury behavior, including the role of trial advocacy in trial outcomes, the effects of race on juror behavior and decisions, the effects of the group context on juror decision making, and how jury decisions stack up against those rendered by judges. Moreover, our knowledge about lay participation in legal decision making is relatively U.S.-centric, neglecting how procedural differences in lay decision participation in other countries around the globe may moderate the general principles of jury decision making that scholars have identified. Certainly there are other substantive areas in need of scholarly attention from jury researchers. How do we identify those other areas? For other authors in the volume, gaps in our knowledge sometimes arise from the types of methods we choose to study jury behavior, especially more tightly controlled experiments that may fail to simulate a real juror’s task in any meaningful way. However, even strong advocates for ecological validity, including some of the authors of chapters in this volume, still recognize that there may be circumstances in which less realistic methods are preferable or at least tolerable. But how do we determine when it is important to value verisimilitude in our methods and when might it be less important? In the remainder of this chapter, I attempt to synthesize the viewpoints of the authors of this volume, making recommendations for jury scholars, novice and more expert alike, about how to choose interesting and important research questions and what methods might be best to test those questions. I end by making a few recommendations for directions that jury researchers might fruitfully pursue in the future. By no means is this list exhaustive, but it provides a starting point for the development of a research agenda for future jury researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Investment professionals' ability to detect deception: Accuracy, bias and metacognitive realism.

Academic Journal

Hartwig, Maria; Voss, Jason A.; Brimbal, Laure; Wallace, D. Brian; Journal of Behavioral Finance, Vol 18(1), Jan, 2017 pp. 1-13. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: In the first empirical study on the topic, the authors examined the ability of investment professionals to distinguish between truthful and deceptive statements. A random sample of 154 investment professionals made judgments about a series of truthful and deceptive statements, some of which involved financial fraud. Investment professionals' lie detection accuracy was poor; participants performed no better than would be expected by chance. Accuracy in identifying lies about financial fraud was especially poor. Further, participants displayed poor metacognitive realism when assessing their own performance. The theoretical and practical implications for lie detection in the financial industry are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Memory errors in alibi generation: How an alibi can turn against us.

Academic Journal

Crozier, William E.; Strange, Deryn; Loftus, Elizabeth F.; Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Vol 35(1), Jan-Feb, 2017 pp. 6-17. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: Alibis play a critical role in the criminal justice system. Yet research on the process of alibi generation and evaluation is still nascent. Indeed, similar to other widely investigated psychological phenomena in the legal system – such as false confessions, historical claims of abuse, and eyewitness memory—the basic assumptions underlying alibi generation and evaluation require closer empirical scrutiny. To date, the majority of alibi research investigates the social psychological aspects of the process. We argue that applying our understanding of basic human memory is critical to a complete understanding of the alibi process. Specifically, we challenge the use of alibi inconsistency as an indication of guilt by outlining the 'cascading effects' that can put innocents at risk for conviction. We discuss how normal encoding and storage processes can pose problems at retrieval, particularly for innocent suspects that can result in alibi inconsistencies over time. Those inconsistencies are typically misunderstood as intentional deception, first by law enforcement, affecting the investigation, then by prosecutors affecting prosecution decisions, and finally by juries, ultimately affecting guilt judgments. Put differently, despite the universal nature of memory inconsistencies, a single error can produce a cascading effect, rendering an innocent individual's alibi, ironically, proof of guilt. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Developmental profiles of children’s spontaneous lie-telling behavior.

Academic Journal

Lavoie, Jennifer; Leduc, Karissa; Arruda, Cindy; Crossman, Angela M.; Talwar, Victoria; Cognitive Development, Vol 41, Jan-Mar, 2017 pp. 33-45. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: Lying emerges as a typical childhood behavior, but little is known about the frequency and types of lies that children tell in relation to age and theory of mind (ToM). This study explored the frequency and types of lies that children 3–14 years old (N = 229) told in their natural environments over two weeks, as reported by their parents. Results suggest that classes of lie-telling behavior emerge according to age and ToM: occasional liars (those with few lies reported across categories; 51%), instrumental liars (lies primarily for material benefit; 42%), and antisocial liars (lies primarily to avoid personal consequences; 7%). Children with lower ToM had a higher frequency of antisocial lies reported, which suggests the use of lie-telling as a problematic social behavior in children whose ToM lags behind their peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Trauma memories on trial: Is cross-examination a safeguard against distorted analogue traumatic memories?

Academic Journal

Segovia, Daisy A.; Strange, Deryn; Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Memory, Vol 25(1), Jan, 2017 pp. 95-106. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Trauma memories can feel more disorganised than more mundane memories. That may be problematic in legal contexts. Here we examined: (a) whether that disorganised feeling makes people more susceptible to suggestive questioning during direct examination; and (b) whether cross-examination is the safeguard it is purported to be: that is, we examined whether cross-examination can uncover and correct distorted trauma memories. We showed participants a film depicting a graphic car accident. For some participants, the film unfolded in a temporally disorganised way. We then interviewed participants immediately after the film regarding what they had seen: this ‘direct examination’ included free recall, cued recall and yes/no questions, some of which were misleading. Then, 48 hours later, a second interviewer cross-examined participants. Contrary to our predictions, neither manipulation of the film’s temporal organisation, nor participants’ self-reported feelings of event disorganisation significantly affected their accuracy of the film during direct or cross-examination nor their recognition memory of the film. Instead, we found that regardless of whether participants’ memories were distorted by the direct examination, the suggestive nature of the cross-examination introduced sufficient doubt that participants were willing to change their answers. We conclude that traumatic memories are vulnerable to suggestive questioning and, unfortunately, cross-examination is not the legal system’s fail-safe corrective influence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Metacognitive and metamemory beliefs in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Academic Journal

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Smith, Rashelle A.; Strange, Deryn; Flowe, Heather D.; Clinical Psychological Science, Vol 5(1), Jan, 2017 pp. 131-140. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Can metacognition increase trauma sufferers’ risk for developing and maintaining posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? We assessed the role of a range of cognitive and metacognitive belief domains—including metamemory—on PTSD symptoms. Adult participants reported their existing meta/cognitions and lifetime exposure to trauma, then 12 weeks later, they reported meta/cognitions and PTSD symptoms in relation to new trauma exposure since the initial assessment. Participants with more PTSD symptoms held more problematic metacognitions than participants with fewer distress symptoms. Moreover, people who endorsed maladaptive metacognitions before trauma exposure were more likely to experience symptoms of PTSD after exposure. Metacognition predicted the maintenance of elevated PTSD symptoms over the 12-week delay. Our findings support the metacognitive model of PTSD and highlight the importance of metamemory, an understudied factor in PTSD research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

The psychology of juries.

Book

Kovera, Margaret Bull (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2017. xiii, 309 pp. Abstract: Juries have a tremendous amount of power and responsibility. They determine the outcomes of trials, including whether a defendant is found guilty or not guilty and, in many cases, what the penalty will be. With the authority to deprive citizens of their freedom and potentially their lives, a fair trial requires that juries function as they should — without bias. But do they function this way? Are juries capable of disregarding inadmissible evidence? Can they understand the instructions that they are given by the judge? And if not, what safeguards or changes would help? Research on juries once served as a pillar of psychological scholarship, but publication of such research has slowed considerably in recent years. In an attempt to reinvigorate scholarship on this important topic, this volume summarizes what is known about the psychology of juries and makes a strong call to arms for more research. Esteemed jury scholars identify important, yet understudied, topics at the intersection of psychology and law, review what research is currently available on the topics, and then suggest new research questions that would advance the field. Furthermore, the authors evaluate the relative importance of research methods that emphasize generalizability versus tight experimental control. Collectively, the chapters present a comprehensive survey of the literature on jury behavior and decision making and offer a robust agenda to keep researchers busy in years to come. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Young deceivers: Executive functioning and antisocial lie‐telling in preschool aged children.

Academic Journal

Williams, Shanna; Leduc, Karissa; Crossman, Angela; Talwar, Victoria; Infant and Child Development, Vol 26(1), Jan-Feb, 2017 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: The present study examined the emergence of antisocial lie-telling in very young children. Lie-telling was studied in relation to executive functioning skills and children’s abilities to identify both truths and lies. A total of 65 children (M_{age in months} = 31.75, SD = 1.87) participated in a modified temptation resistance paradigm (TRP; designed to elicit spontaneous lies). Executive functioning was measured through an inhibitory control task and a forward search planning task. The Truth/Lie Identification task was administered (Lyon, Carrick, & Quas, 2010) to measure children’s abilities to accurately distinguish truths and lies. During the TRP, a total of 89.23% children peeked at the toy when a research assistant left the room, and of those children, 29.31% lied to the research assistant. Significant differences on executive functioning measures were found between lie-tellers and confessors, as well as for the Truth/Lie Identification task. Lie-tellers had higher scores on measures of inhibitory control and forward search planning. Lie-tellers also had higher accuracy on the Truth/Lie Identification task than confessors. This study provides a unique contribution to the literature by examining 2.5-year-old children’s emerging lie-telling abilities, a relatively understudied age during which fledgling lie-telling emerges. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Training in the Strategic Use of Evidence technique: Improving deception detection accuracy of American law enforcement officers.

Academic Journal

Luke, Timothy J.; Hartwig, Maria; Joseph, Emily; Brimbal, Laure; Chan, Ginny; Dawson, Evan; Jordan, Sarah; Donovan, Patricia; Granhag, Pär Anders; Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, Vol 31(4), Dec, 2016 pp. 270-278. Publisher: Springer; [Journal Article] Abstract: The Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) approach is a framework for planning and executing suspect interviews with the aim of facilitating judgments of truth and deception. US law enforcement officers (N = 59) either received training in the SUE approach or did not. Each officer interviewed a mock suspect (N = 59) who had either committed a simulated security breach or had completed a benign task. The officers who received SUE training interviewed in line with the training: They questioned the suspect systematically, withheld the evidence and critical case information until after questioning, and relied on statement-evidence inconsistency to detect deceit. Consequently, SUE-trained interviewers achieved a higher deception detection accuracy rate (65%) compared to untrained interviewers (43%). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Miranda at 50: A psychological analysis.

Academic Journal

Smalarz, Laura; Scherr, Kyle C.; Kassin, Saul M.; Current Directions in Psychological Science, Vol 25(6), Dec, 2016 pp. 455-460. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: [Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 26(1) of Current Directions in Psychological Science (see record 2017-06809-015 ). In Table 1 of this article, the fifth prong of the Miranda warning was incorrect. The corrected table is provided in the erratum.] In 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a controversial ruling in Miranda v. Arizona, which required police to inform suspects, prior to custodial interrogation, of their constitutional rights to silence and to counsel. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Miranda, we present a psychological analysis of the Court’s ruling. We show how the Court’s assumption that the provisions of the Miranda ruling would enable suspects to make knowing, intelligent, and voluntary decisions regarding whether to invoke or waive their constitutional rights has not been borne out by scientific research. Hence, we argue that even well-adjusted, intelligent adults are at risk of succumbing to police pressure during custodial interrogation. We conclude with policy implications and directions for future Miranda research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Trauma-related versus positive involuntary thoughts with and without meta-awareness.

Academic Journal

Green, Deanne M.; Strange, Deryn; Lindsay, D. Stephen; Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Consciousness and Cognition: An International Journal, Vol 46, Nov, 2016 pp. 163-172. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: In earlier work, we asked subjects to report involuntary thoughts relating to a trauma film and also probed subjects periodically. Subjects often reported involuntary thoughts in response to probes, suggesting they lacked meta-awareness of those thoughts. But it is possible that some or all probe-detected thoughts were continuations of thoughts subjects had spontaneously reported, leading us to overestimate involuntary thoughts lacking meta-awareness. It is also unclear whether failures in meta-awareness occur for other emotional events. We exposed subjects to a negative or positive film. Subsequently, they reported involuntary film-related thoughts and responded to probes that distinguished new from continuing thoughts. Many (54%) but not all probe-caught thoughts were thought continuations. This result supports our earlier finding that people can lack meta-awareness for trauma-related thoughts, but suggests caution in how meta-awareness is assessed. We also found that self-caught negative and positive involuntary thoughts occurred at a similar frequency, with different characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

 

The effects of secret instructions and yes/no questions on maltreated and non‐maltreated children's reports of a minor transgression.

Academic Journal

Ahern, Elizabeth C.; Stolzenberg, Stacia N.; McWilliams, Kelly; Lyon, Thomas D.; Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Vol 34(6), Nov-Dec, 2016 pp. 784-802. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: This study examined the effects of secret instructions (distinguishing between good/bad secrets and encouraging disclosure of bad secrets) and yes/no questions (DID: 'Did the toy break?' versus DYR: 'Do you remember if the toy broke?') on 262 maltreated and non-maltreated children’s (age range 4–9 years) reports of a minor transgression. Over two-thirds of children failed to disclose the transgression in response to free recall (invitations and cued invitations). The secret instruction increased disclosures early in free recall, but was not superior to no instruction when combined with cued invitations. Yes/no questions specifically asking about the transgression elicited disclosures from almost half of the children who had not previously disclosed, and false alarms were rare. DYR questions led to ambiguous responding among a substantial percentage of children, particularly younger children. The findings highlight the difficulties of eliciting transgression disclosures without direct questions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Can expert testimony sensitize jurors to coercive interrogation tactics?

Academic Journal

Jones, Angela M.; Penrod, Steven; Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, Vol 16(5), Oct, 2016 pp. 393-409. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Lay knowledge concerning false confession risk factors appears to be insufficient to safeguard against wrongful convictions, and research on false confession expert testimony has not led to a clear understanding of its impact on juror decision making. Thus, the current study sought to clarify whether expert testimony can induce sensitivity to a wide variety of false confession risk factors. Furthermore, jurors bring a variety of predispositions into the courtroom that may shape the way they view evidence. Yet, little research has evaluated the impact of individual differences in cases involving confession evidence. The current study assessed 330 participants’ self-reported likelihood of falsely confessing. These participants subsequently read an abbreviated criminal trial transcript where the defendant confessed to committing murder, but later recanted. We varied police use of four psychologically coercive interrogation techniques as well as the presence of expert testimony during the trial. Generally, participants were not sensitive to variations in the psychological coerciveness of the interrogation with or without an expert. However, self-reported likelihood of falsely confessing influenced perceptions of the detective and confession voluntariness, which in turn predicted verdict decisions. Increasing belief that one could falsely confess decreased the likelihood of conviction by decreasing perceptions of detective credibility and confession voluntariness. The results suggest the need to take into account individual differences of jurors who evaluate confession evidence. Current remedies may also need modification to assist jurors in deciphering confession evidence quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Repeated eyewitness identification procedures with the same suspect.

Academic Journal

Steblay, Nancy K.; Dysart, Jennifer E.; Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Vol 5(3), Sep, 2016 pp. 284-289. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: An eyewitness to a crime may make a series of identification decisions about the same suspect as evidence is gathered and presented at trial. These repeated decisions may involve show-ups, mugshots, photo arrays, lineups, and in-court identifications. Repeated identification procedures increase suspect identifications but do not increase the likelihood that the identified person is guilty. Eyewitness memory can be irreparably compromised, with significant risk incurred for an innocent suspect. The first identification procedure influences a witness’ subsequent decisions and confidence, in violation of the legal expectation that an identification reflects witness memory for the crime only. The research supports two recommendations. (1) Repeated identification procedures using the same suspect should be avoided. (2) Identifications made from repeated procedures—beyond the first identification procedure—should not be considered reliable eyewitness evidence. The first eyewitness identification attempt is the one that counts and must have been conducted with a fair and unbiased procedure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Unfair lineups make witnesses more likely to confuse innocent and guilty suspects.

Academic Journal

Colloff, Melissa F.; Wade, Kimberley A.; Strange, Deryn; Psychological Science, Vol 27(9), Sep, 2016 pp. 1227-1239. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Eyewitness-identification studies have focused on the idea that unfair lineups (i.e., ones in which the police suspect stands out) make witnesses more willing to identify the police suspect. We examined whether unfair lineups also influence subjects’ ability to distinguish between innocent and guilty suspects and their ability to judge the accuracy of their identification. In a single experiment (N = 8,925), we compared three fair-lineup techniques used by the police with unfair lineups in which we did nothing to prevent distinctive suspects from standing out. Compared with the fair lineups, doing nothing not only increased subjects’ willingness to identify the suspect but also markedly impaired subjects’ ability to distinguish between innocent and guilty suspects. Accuracy was also reduced at every level of confidence. These results advance theory on witnesses’ identification performance and have important practical implications for how police should construct lineups when suspects have distinctive features. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Memory amplification for trauma: Investigating the role of analogue PTSD symptoms in the laboratory.

Academic Journal

Oulton, Jacinta M.; Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Strange, Deryn; Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Vol 42, Aug, 2016 pp. 60-70. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: Victims of trauma often remember their experience as being more traumatic later, compared to immediately after, the event took place. This finding—the 'memory amplification effect'—is associated with increased re-experiencing symptoms. However, the effect has been found almost exclusively in field-based studies. We examined whether the effect could be replicated in the laboratory. In two studies, we exposed participants to negative photographs and assessed their memory for the photographs and analogue PTSD symptoms on two occasions. In Study 1, analogue symptoms at follow-up were positively associated with remembering more negative photos over time. In Study 2, we focused on 'memory amplifiers': people whose memory of the photos amplified over time. Consistent with field research, analogue re-experiencing symptoms were associated with memory amplification. Overall, our findings confirm that analogue PTSD symptoms are also associated with an amplified memory for a trauma analogue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Protecting whiteness: White phenotypic racial stereotypicality reduces police use of force.

Academic Journal

Kahn, Kimberly Barsamian; Goff, Phillip Atiba; Lee, J. Katherine; Motamed, Diane; Social Psychological and Personality Science, Vol 7(5), Jul, 2016 pp. 403-411. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Focusing on intergroup anti-non-White bias in the criminal justice system, little attention is given to how Whites may additionally be protected from negative police treatment. This study examines intragroup bias via perceived suspect phenotypic racial stereotypicality (e.g., how strongly members possess physical features typical of their racial group) on severity of police use of force. It is hypothesized that the Whiter one appears, the more the suspect will be protected from police force. Internal use of force case files from a large police department were coded for severity of police force, and suspects’ booking photographs were scored for phenotypic racial stereotypicality. Regression analyses confirmed that police used less force with highly stereotypical Whites, and this protective effect was stronger than the effect for non-Whites. Results suggest that intragroup bias is a protective factor for Whites, but not for non-Whites, providing an additional route through which racial disparities in policing operate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Countermeasures against the strategic use of evidence technique: Effects on suspects' strategies.

Academic Journal

Luke, Timothy J.; Hartwig, Maria; Shamash, Benjamin; Granhag, Pär Anders; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 13(2), Jun, 2016 pp. 131-147. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: As the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique becomes more widely taught to practitioners, it is important to investigate possible countermeasures to the technique. It is possible that guilty suspects who are aware of the SUE technique will employ forthcoming verbal strategies to make themselves appear innocent. Mock suspects committed a richly detailed simulated transgression (or a benign analogue) and were interviewed about their activities. Prior to questioning, some suspects received information about SUE tactics the interviewer was likely to use. Guilty suspects who were informed about the SUE technique employed more verbally forthcoming strategies than their uninformed counterparts. Guilty suspects who were given SUE information also reported planning for the interview in different ways. However, guilty‐informed suspects did not become as forthcoming as innocent suspects overall. In sum, it appears that information about the SUE technique induces guilty suspects to alter their strategies, but only to a relatively small degree. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

When self-report trumps science: Effects of confessions, DNA, and prosecutorial theories on perceptions of guilt.

Academic Journal

Appleby, Sara C.; Kassin, Saul M.; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Vol 22(2), May, 2016 pp. 127-140. Publisher: American Psychological Association; [Journal Article] Abstract: For many wrongfully convicted individuals, DNA testing presents a new and invaluable means of exoneration. In several recently documented cases, however, innocent confessors were tried and convicted despite DNA evidence that excluded them. In each of these cases, the prosecutor proposed a speculative theory to explain away the mismatched confession and exculpatory DNA. Three studies were conducted that pitted confessions against DNA test results. Study 1 showed that people in general trust DNA evidence far more than self-report, including a defendant’s confession. Using student and adult community samples, Studies 2 and 3 showed that in cases in which the defendant had confessed to police but was later exculpated by DNA, prosecutorial theories spun to reconcile the contradiction attenuated the power of exculpatory DNA, significantly increasing perceptions of the defendant’s culpability, the rate of conviction, and the self-reported influence of the confession. Implications and suggestions for reform are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Justice from within: The relations between a procedurally just organizational climate and police organizational efficiency, endorsement of democratic policing, and officer well-being.

Academic Journal

Trinkner, Rick; Tyler, Tom R.; Goff, Phillip Atiba; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Vol 22(2), May, 2016 pp. 158-172. Publisher: American Psychological Association; [Journal Article] Abstract: Recent clashes between law enforcement and the public have led to increased attention on policing strategies that build trust and motivate cooperation in communities through the application of fair procedures and decision-making. A growing body of policing research has highlighted that officers commonly report working within police departments that lack procedural fairness and that these intradepartmental dynamics influence officers motivation and behavior on the street. This study builds on this work by examining the influence of a procedurally fair organizational climate on officer’s organizational behavior, commitment to democratic policing, and well-being. Patrol officers and sergeants in a large urban police force completed surveys assessing their perceptions of their department, the communities they police, their views on different policing styles, and their well-being. Results showed that when officers were in a procedurally fair department, they were more likely to trust and feel obligated to obey their supervisors, less likely to be psychologically and emotionally distressed, and less likely to be cynical and mistrustful about the world in general and the communities they police in particular. More importantly, these effects were associated with greater endorsement of democratic forms of policing, increased organizational efficiency, and officer well-being. Taken together these results clearly support the utility of infusing procedural justice into the internal working climate as a means to improve police officer job performance, their well-being, and their relationship with the communities they police. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

False memories for an analogue trauma: Does thought suppression help or hinder memory accuracy?

Academic Journal

Oulton, Jacinta M.; Strange, Deryn; Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Applied Cognitive Psychology, Vol 30(3), May-Jun, 2016 pp. 350-359. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: In the current study, we investigated whether suppression can produce an amplified memory for a traumatic experience. Participants viewed a distressing film depicting a multi‐fatality car accident. We broke the film down into several short clips, some of which were removed. After viewing the film, we instructed participants to (i) suppress and monitor film‐related thoughts, (ii) think freely and monitor film‐related thoughts or (iii) just think freely. Twenty‐four hours later, participants completed a recognition test. Memory distortion was comparable across conditions; however, suppression and monitoring of trauma‐related thoughts removed the typical bias to falsely remember the most critical and traumatic clips of the film over the least critical clips. Our data suggest that suppression may be effective in reducing trauma‐related cognitions and, therefore, does not predict a more ‘amplified’ memory for trauma. Instead, suppression and thought monitoring encourage an unbiased, although inaccurate, memory for trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The influence of pretrial exposure to community outrage and victim hardship on guilt judgments.

Academic Journal

Zimmerman, David; Rodriguez, Dario; Bergold, Amanda; Penrod, Steven; Psychology, Crime & Law, Vol 22(5), May, 2016 pp. 435-454. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Although the courts have explicitly expressed concerns about the effects of public sentiment on juries in highly publicized cases, no research has isolated the degree to which jurors’ exposure to community outrage and/or prospective social interactions in the community independently influence judgments of guilt. In the current research, jury eligible undergraduates were randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 (negative defendant facts pretrial publicity (PTP): present vs. absent) × 2 (community outrage PTP: present vs. absent) × 2 (anticipated social interaction: present vs. absent) between subjects factorial design. In an online session, participants read articles containing PTP (or not), and two days later they arrived at the lab to serve as mock jurors in a murder case – before the trial they were instructed (or not) that they would interact with people from the community in which the case was taking place. Neither PTP containing extra-evidentiary facts about the defendant nor prospective interaction with the community had main or interactive effects on guilt measures; however, mock jurors rated the defendant as more likely to be guilty when they read information about community outrage and hardships on victims. These findings suggest future avenues of PTP research focusing on community outrage and victim impacts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Encoding disorganized memories for an analogue trauma does not increase memory distortion or analogue symptoms of PTSD.

Academic Journal

Segovia, Daisy A.; Strange, Deryn; Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, Vol 50, Mar, 2016 pp. 127-134. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: Background and Objectives: Empirical studies with objective measures and control conditions have failed to demonstrate disorganization; yet people tend to self-report disorganization in their trauma narratives, which may have other effects. Thus, we investigated whether a disorganized trauma memory produces more analogue PTSD symptoms and memory distortion, compared to an organized memory. Methods: Participants watched a traumatic film with missing scenes. Some saw the scenes in their correct temporal sequence; others saw a random sequence; thus for some participants we implanted a disorganized memory. We also told some participants to focus on the meaning of the event (conceptual), some on the sensory details (data-driven), and some received no instruction (control). Participants recorded their intrusions for a week. Then, they reported analogue symptoms and we tested their memory for the film and their confidence in what they remembered. Results: Analogue symptoms and number of reported intrusions did not differ across conditions, nor did the degree of memory distortion or confidence in those memories. However, participants who self-reported feeling more memory disorganization reported more avoidance symptoms and more memory distortion. Limitations: We did not measure memory for real trauma, nor did we assess for a history of PTSD. Our results may also be restricted to temporal disorganization. Conclusions: Although objective assessments of disorganization do not appear important, people's feelings regarding the disorganization of their memories not only affect their assessment of the severity of their PTSD symptoms, but also the kinds of memory errors they make. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Lost proof of innocence: The impact of confessions on alibi witnesses.

Academic Journal

Marion, Stéphanie B.; Kukucka, Jeff; Collins, Carisa; Kassin, Saul M.; Burke, Tara M.; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 40(1), Feb, 2016 pp. 65-71. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: The present study investigated how alibi witnesses react in the face of an innocent suspect’s confession. Under the pretext of a problem-solving study, a participant and confederate completed a series of tasks in the same testing room. The confederate was subsequently accused of stealing money from an adjacent office during the study session. After initially corroborating the innocent confederate’s alibi that she never left the testing room, only 45% of participants maintained their support of that alibi once informed that the confederate had confessed (vs. 95% when participants believed the confederate had denied involvement). Even fewer (20%) maintained their corroboration when the experimenter insinuated that their support of the alibi might imply their complicity. The presence of a confession also decreased participants’ confidence in the accuracy of the alibi and their belief in the confederate’s innocence. These findings suggest that a police-induced confession can strip an innocent confessor of a vital source of exculpatory evidence. This effect may well explain the often-puzzling absence of exculpatory evidence in many cases involving wrongful conviction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

An introduction to contextualizing human memory.

Book

Stone, Charles; Bietti, Lucas; In: Contextualizing human memory: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding how individuals and groups remember the past. Stone, Charles (Ed); Bietti, Lucas (Ed); Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group; 2016, pp. 1-7. [Chapter] Abstract: In developing a book examining the mnemonic influence of context, it is fair to say we have set out on an ambitious endeavor. This is not because it will be difficult to persuade the reader of the importance of context in shaping the way the past is remembered. Rather, our task will be arduous simply because 'context' is, on the surface at once an ambiguous and, at the same time encapsulating term, both in its conceptualization and operationalization. Its ambiguity stems from an imprecise delineation of what researchers actually mean by context and why they choose one particular aspect of context over another. The book is composed of three parts. Part I is comprised of chapters examining context from cognitive and psychological perspectives; Part II is comprised of chapters examining context from social and cultural perspectives; and Part III is comprised of chapters examining context from linguistic and philosophical perspectives with a particular emphasis on the importance of scaffolding (i.e., 'in the world' artifacts facilitating remembrance). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Contextualizing silence: A psychological approach to understanding the mnemonic consequences of selective silence in social interactions.

Book

Stone, Charles B.; In: Contextualizing human memory: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding how individuals and groups remember the past. Stone, Charles(Ed); Bietti, Lucas (Ed); Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group; 2016, pp. 23-36. [Chapter] Abstract: This chapter will begin by first describing in great detail a robust, individual memory effect: retrieval-induced forgetting. Second, it will demonstrate how this induced forgetting effect has been extended to social settings and provides important insights into how selective silence shapes the way individuals and groups remember the past. Third, I will describe how the context in which this silence occurs has important consequences for their mnemonic properties by focusing on in-group vs. out-group members and trustworthy vs. untrustworthy individuals. Fourth, it will describe pertinent avenues for future research to further understand how selective silence shapes the content (i.e. which memories are remembered and forgotten) of what individuals and groups remember about the past. Last, will provide some concluding thoughts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

False confessions: From colonial Salem, through Central Park, and into the twenty-first century.

Book

Kassin, Saul M.; In: The witness stand and Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Jr. Willis-Esqueda, Cynthia (Ed); Bornstein, Brian H. (Ed); Publisher: Springer Science + Business Media; 2016, pp. 53-74. [Chapter] Abstract: False confessions are not a new or novel phenomenon. From colonial Salem through the twenty-first century; in countries all over the world; in criminal justice, military, and corporate settings; many innocent people have confessed to crimes they did and would not commit. Within psychology, Munsterberg (1908) wrote about 'untrue confessions' more than a hundred years ago; in On the Witness Stand, Bem (1966) and Zimbardo (1967) provided the first social psychological perspectives in the 1960s. Kassin and Wrightsman (1985a, 1985b) introduced a taxonomy consisting of three types of false confessions that served as a conceptual platform for current research. In light of this background, coupled with the recent wave of DNA exonerations indicating the prevalence of false confessions, this chapter overviews the history of research in this area and then summarizes recent work specifically aimed at four questions: Why are innocent people often targeted for interrogation? Why do innocent people confess as a result of that process? Why do juries invariably believe false confessions—resulting in wrongful convictions that are later difficult to overturn? Finally, what can be done to prevent future miscarriages of justice caused by false confessions? (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Identifying juror bias: Moving from assessment and prediction to a new generation of jury selection research.

Book

Kovera, Margaret Bull; Austin, Jacqueline L.; In: The witness stand and Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Jr. Willis-Esqueda, Cynthia (Ed); Bornstein, Brian H. (Ed); Publisher: Springer Science + Business Media; 2016, pp. 75-94. [Chapter] Abstract: In this chapter, we review the psychological assumptions that the law and legal actors make about the identification of venireperson bias during voir dire and the extent to which the process results in the removal of problematic jurors from jury service. We review the empirical literature from the first generation of jury selection research, which was devoted to identifying traits or developing attitudinal measures that predict juror verdicts. Finally, we describe several studies that represent a new generation of jury selection research that moves beyond mere prediction of venirepersons' verdict inclinations to an evaluation of the extent to which social cognitive and social influence processes interfere with judges' and attorneys' abilities to effectively exercise their challenges to venirepersons' potential jury service. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Boundary restriction for negative emotional images is an example of memory amplification.

Academic Journal

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Oulton, Jacinta M.; Green, Deanne M.; Strange, Deryn; Clinical Psychological Science, Vol 4(1), Jan, 2016 pp. 82-95. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: We investigated whether boundary restriction—misremembering proximity to traumatic stimuli—is a form of memory amplification and whether reexperiencing trauma plays a role in boundary restriction errors. In four experiments, subjects viewed a series of traumatic photographs. Later, subjects identified the photographs they originally saw among distracters that could be identical, close-up, or wide-angled versions of the same photographs. Subjects also completed measures of mood, analogue PTSD symptoms, phenomenological experience of intrusions, and processing style. Across experiments, subjects were more likely to incorrectly remember the photographs as having extended boundaries: boundary extension. Despite this tendency, the extent to which subjects reexperienced traumatic aspects of the photographs predicted how often they incorrectly remembered the photographs as having narrower boundaries: boundary restriction. Our data suggest that although boundary extension is more common, boundary restriction is related to individual differences in coping mechanisms posttrauma. These results have theoretical implications for understanding how people remember trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects: Boundaries (Psychological); Cognition; Memory; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Negative Emotions; Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs); Thirties (30-39 yrs); Middle Age (40-64 yrs); Aged (65 yrs & older); Male; Female

 

Question type and its effect on children's maintenance and accuracy during courtroom testimony.

Academic Journal

Saykaly, Christine; Crossman, Angela; Morris, Mary; Talwar, Victoria; Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol 18(2), 2016 pp. 104-117. Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited; [Journal Article] Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of question type (open-ended, prompted, reverse order and chronological order recall) on children’s ability to maintain a truth or a lie in a two-part mock-courtroom study. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 96 children (M_age= 131.00 months) between 9 and 12 years of age were asked to testify about an interaction with a research assistant the week prior. They were assigned to one of four conditions (true/false×assertion/denial). Findings: Results indicate that question type has an influence on children’s ability to maintain their condition. Results also indicate that regardless of question type, children have difficulty recalling information sequentially. Practical implications: Implications of the current research support the use of various question types, including increasing the cognitive load demands, when interviewing children. Originality/value: To date, this is the first study to investigate the use of reverse order questioning in a courtroom study with children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

The role of executive functions and theory of mind in children’s prosocial lie-telling.

Academic Journal

Williams, Shanna; Moore, Kelsey; Crossman, Angela M.; Talwar, Victoria; Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol 141, Jan, 2016 pp. 256-266. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: Children’s prosocial lying was examined in relation to executive functioning skills and theory of mind development. Prosocial lying was observed using a disappointing gift paradigm. Of the 79 children (ages 6–12 years) who completed the disappointing gift paradigm, 47 (59.5%) told a prosocial lie to a research assistant about liking their prize. In addition, of those children who told prosocial lies, 25 (53.2%) maintained semantic leakage control during follow-up questioning, thereby demonstrating advanced lie-telling skills. When executive functioning was examined, children who told prosocial lies were found to have significantly higher performance on measures of working memory and inhibitory control. In addition, children who lied and maintained semantic leakage control also displayed more advanced theory of mind understanding. Although children’s age was not a predictor of lie-telling behavior (i.e., truthful vs. lie-teller), age was a significant predictor of semantic leakage control, with older children being more likely to maintain their lies during follow-up questioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Contextualizing human memory: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding how individuals and groups remember the past.

Book

Stone, Charles (Ed); Bietti, Lucas (Ed); Publisher: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group; 2016. xii, 222 pp. Abstract: This edited collection provides an inter- and intra-disciplinary discussion of the critical role context plays in how and when individuals and groups remember the past. International contributors integrate key research from a range of disciplines, including social and cognitive psychology, discursive psychology, philosophy/philosophical psychology and cognitive linguistics, to increase awareness of the central role that cultural, social and technological contexts play in determining individual and collective recollections at multiple, yet interconnected, levels of human experience. Contextualizing Human Memory allows researchers to understand the variety of work undertaken in related fields, and to appreciate the importance of context in understanding when, how and what is remembered at any given recollection. The book will appeal to researchers, academics and postgraduate students in the fields of cognitive and social psychology, as well as those in related disciplines interested in learning more about the advancing field of memory studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Basic principles of interviewing the child eyewitness.

Book

Johnson, Jonni L.; McWilliams, Kelly; Goodman, Gail S.; Shelley, Alexandra E.; Piper, Brianna; In: Forensic interviews regarding child sexual abuse: A guide to evidence-based practice. O'Donohue, William T. (Ed); Fanetti, Matthew (Ed); Publisher: Springer International Publishing; 2016, pp. 179-195. [Chapter] Abstract: In this chapter, we discuss basic principles of interviewing alleged child victims of sexual abuse. We have divided our review into three distinct yet complementary (and at times, somewhat overlapping) sections: the interviewee, the interviewer and the interview. Issues for forensic interviewers to consider when questioning child victims are outlined. In this paper we assume the interview goal is to elicit accurate eyewitness accounts. We acknowledge that child forensic interviewing is a large and growing field of study; therefore, the topics included in each section are not exhaustive of all factors examined in the extant literature. Moreover despite the vast research base, there are still many factors that can affect actual forensic investigations that remain largely unexplored. For present purposes, we consider who is being interviewed, who is conducting the interview, and how the interview is conducted. Before discussing our selected factors, we briefly summarize evidence regarding children's memory for stressful events as these are inherently the types of events interviewers ask children to recount. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Seeing color blindness: Color-blind racial ideology research methods in social psychology.

Book

Jackson, Matthew C.; Wilde, Vera Katelyn; Goff, Phillip Atiba; In: The myth of racial color blindness: Manifestations, dynamics, and impact. Neville, Helen A. (Ed); Gallardo, Miguel E. (Ed); Sue, Derald Wing (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2016, pp. 125-140. [Chapter] Abstract: This methods review proceeds as follows. First, we synthesize two groups of color-blind racial ideology (CBRI) social psychology research methods (i.e., causes and consequences) and the findings they produce. The most popular method in experimental research examining the consequences of CBRI uses explicit priming to compare the effects of exposing participants to racially color-blind versus color-conscious (e.g., multicultural) narratives on cooperative efficiency and various measures of the racial climate (Apfelbaum, Pauker, Sommers, & Ambady, 2010; Apfelbaum, Sommers, & Norton, 2008; Goff, Steele, & Davies, 2008; Holoien & Shelton, 2012; Morrison, Plaut, & Ybarra, 2010; Richeson & Nussbaum, 2004; Richeson & Shelton, 2007; Todd & Galinsky, 2012; Vorauer, Gagnon, & Sasaki, 2009; Vorauer, Hunter, Main, & Roy, 2000; Vorauer, Main, & O’Connell, 1998; Wolsko, Park, & Judd, 2006; Wolsko, Park, Judd, & Wittenbrink, 2000). Field studies use a broader range of methods, including experimental and observational tools, but are more often correlational (e.g., Plaut, Thomas, & Goren, 2009). Conversely, research on the causes of CBRI uses measurements of the concern with appearing prejudiced and of antiegalitarianism to demonstrate that causes other than egalitarianism can motivate the endorsement CBRI (e.g., Goff et al., 2013; Knowles, Lowery, Hogan, & Chow, 2009). Finally, we describe possible future advances in CBRI social psychology research methods by suggesting ways to disambiguate and extend previous CBRI findings. Specifically, the majority of CBRI research has been conducted in laboratories with participants who do not know one another. Conversely, social psychology as a whole is increasingly well-known across disciplines for researchers’ ability to deploy multimethod research designs combining experimental laboratory studies with secondary data analyses from real-world institutional contexts such as schools, businesses, and hospitals. This type of strategy, long cited as best minimizing sources of potential error (e.g., Campbell & Fiske, 1959), is particularly well-suited to addressing enduring questions about how CBRI affects intergroup relations in actual workplaces, authentic interpersonal relationships, and other, more ecologically valid settings. Future multimethod research designs will enhance the ecological validity of findings and clarify the boundary conditions of where and when CBRI in various forms magnifies or ameliorates racial inequality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

The impact of psychological science on policing in the United States: Procedural justice, legitimacy, and effective law enforcement.

Academic Journal

Tyler, Tom R.; Goff, Phillip Atiba; MacCoun, Robert J.; Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Vol 16(3), Dec, 2015 pp. 75-109. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: The May 2015 release of the report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing highlighted a fundamental change in the issues dominating discussions about policing in America. That change has moved discussions away from a focus on what is legal or effective in crime control and toward a concern for how the actions of the police influence public trust and confidence in the police. This shift in discourse has been motivated by two factors—first, the recognition by public officials that increases in the professionalism of the police and dramatic declines in the rate of crime have not led to increases in police legitimacy, and second, greater awareness of the limits of the dominant coercive model of policing and of the benefits of an alternative and more consensual model based on public trust and confidence in the police and legal system. Psychological research has played an important role in legitimating this change in the way policymakers think about policing by demonstrating that perceived legitimacy shapes a set of law-related behaviors as well as or better than concerns about the risk of punishment. Those behaviors include compliance with the law and cooperation with legal authorities. These findings demonstrate that legal authorities gain by a focus on legitimacy. Psychological research has further contributed by articulating and demonstrating empirical support for a central role of procedural justice in shaping legitimacy, providing legal authorities with a clear road map of strategies for creating and maintaining public trust. Given evidence of the benefits of legitimacy and a set of guidelines concerning its antecedents, policymakers have increasingly focused on the question of public trust when considering issues in policing. The acceptance of a legitimacy-based consensual model of police authority building on theories and research studies originating within psychology illustrates how psychology can contribute to the development of evidence-based policies in the field of criminal law. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Parent-child discussion and children's eyewitness memory.

Dissertation/ Thesis

McWilliams, Kelly Eileen; Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol 76(4-B)(E) Publisher: ProQuest Information & Learning; [Dissertation] Abstract: The present study investigated the effects of parental bias about a staged event on parents' reminiscing style and children's event memory. The experiment utilized a 2 (Age: 3-4 years, 5-6 years) X 3 (Discussion: Biased Discussion, Non Bias Discussion, Irrelevant Discussion) between-subjects factorial design. Three to six year olds (N = 70) experienced a target play session with two experimenters during which nothing stressful happened. The parent-child dyads were then randomly assigned to one of three discussion groups. Parents in the biased discussion condition were told that their children witnessed a stressful event (i.e., an argument) during the play session. Parents in the non bias discussion condition were not misled. The children and their parents in the biased and non bias discussion conditions then engaged in a discussion about the play session. Parents in the irrelevant discussion group were told not to discuss the target play event; they instead discussed their ride to the laboratory. Finally, children's memory for the play session was tested. Results revealed significant associations between parent-child conversations and children's memory performance. Parents in the bias condition who self-reported as more anxiously attached engaged in significantly more elaborative reminiscing, yet their children made significantly more memory errors than children of more securely attached parents or children in the other experimental conditions. Additionally, parents in the biased condition who self-identified as both more anxiously attached and more avoidantly attached introduced significantly more false information in their discussions about the target play event than more secure parents. However, this introduction of false information did not result in a higher rate of memory error by children when children were questioned about the play event by a researcher. Implications for theory and policy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Defendant remorse and publicity in capital trials: Is seeing truly believing?

Academic Journal

Tallon, Jennifer A.; Daftary-Kapur, Tarika; Penrod, Steven; Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol 42(12), Dec, 2015 pp. 1282-1302. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Exposure to negative pre-trial publicity (PTP) can bias jurors, but the role of PTP in capital sentencing remains unclear. The goal of this study was to examine how variations in PTP concerning a defendant’s emotions prior to sentencing and variations in the defendant’s emotions during sentencing influenced sentencing decisions. One hundred death-qualified community members served as mock jurors in a 2 (pre-sentencing publicity [PSP]: emotional vs. unemotional) × 2 (defendant’s behavior at sentencing: emotional vs. unemotional) between groups factorial design. Participants were exposed to PSP approximately 1 week before viewing a DVD of a simulated sentencing hearing in which we manipulated the defendant’s behavior. Appearing emotional during sentencing decreased the likelihood of a death sentence and improved evaluations of the defendant, but PSP exerted no effect on decision making. Attitudes toward the death penalty directly affected sentencing decisions and moderated the effects of both publicity and sentencing behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Examining legal authoritarianism in the impact of punishment severity on juror decisions.

Academic Journal

Jones, Angela M.; Jones, Shayne; Penrod, Steven; Psychology, Crime & Law, Vol 21(10), Nov, 2015 pp. 939-951. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Recent Supreme Court decisions point to an increased reliance on juries to determine a defendant's sentence. Evidence is mixed on whether jurors are more likely to convict when the potential punishment is mild. The current study examined this issue, as well as the impact of legal authoritarianism (LA) (Kravitz, D. A., Cutler, B. L., & Brock, P. 1993. Reliability and validity of the original and revised legal attitudes questionnaire. Law and Human Behavior, 17, 661–677. doi: 10.1007/BF01044688), on jurors’ decisions. An ethnically diverse sample of participants completed the individual difference measure prior to viewing a videotaped, reenacted criminal trial. We manipulated the severity of the punishment the defendant would receive if convicted. Results indicated LA moderated the effect of punishment severity on verdict. Specifically, at higher levels of punishment severity, civil libertarians convicted less, while legal authoritarians convicted more. That is, the severity-leniency effect held for civil libertarians, but not for legal authoritarians. As juries become more responsible for determining a defendant's sentence, attorneys should be aware of the defendant's potential sentence and use voir dire to identify jurors who are higher on LA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

A demonstrative helps opposing expert testimony sensitize jurors to the validity of scientific evidence.

Academic Journal

Jones, Angela M.; Kovera, Margaret Bull; Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, Vol 15(5), Oct, 2015 pp. 401-422. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: This study examined whether a demonstrative (visual aid) could increase the ability of opposing expert testimony to sensitize jurors to variations in the validity of scientific evidence. Undergraduates (N = 246) viewed a videotaped reenactment of an armed robbery trial with an eyewitness identification as the key evidence. Both the validity of the defense expert’s study on eyewitness identification and the type of opposing expert testimony varied. Although participants were sensitive to the scientific quality of the defense expert’s testimony when an opposing expert addressed the defense expert’s study, regardless of the presence of a demonstrative, jurors’ verdicts were sensitive only when the opposing expert used a demonstrative to communicate about validity issues. Thus, an opposing expert who addresses a defense expert’s study with or without a demonstrative may be sufficient to improve jurors’ understanding of scientific evidence, but the addition of a demonstrative is necessary to translate this knowledge into verdict decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Executive function and temperamental fear concurrently predict deception in school-aged children.

Academic Journal

Babkirk, Sarah; Saunders, Lauren V.; Solomon, Beylul; Kessel, Ellen M.; Crossman, Angela; Gokhan, Nurper; Dennis, Tracy A.; Journal of Moral Education, Vol 44(4), Oct, 2015 pp. 426-440. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: The decision to intentionally withhold truthful information, or deception, is a key component of moral development and may be a precursor to more serious anti-social tendencies. Two factors, executive function (EF) and temperamental fear are each thought to influence childhood deception. Few studies, however, have explored deception in relation to both of these factors simultaneously. This was the goal of the present study. EF, as measured by a working memory (WM) task, and temperamental fear, as measured via maternal report were assessed in relation to observed deceptive behavior among six- to nine-year-old children (N = 43). Results showed that children displaying high WM capacity and high temperamental fear were more likely to exhibit deceptive behavior. Implications for predictors of childhood deception and applications for moral education are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Stereotype threat and racial differences in citizens’ experiences of police encounters.

Academic Journal

Najdowski, Cynthia J.; Bottoms, Bette L.; Goff, Phillip Atiba; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 39(5), Oct, 2015 pp. 463-477. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: We conducted 2 studies to investigate how cultural stereotypes that depict Blacks as criminals affect the way Blacks experience encounters with police officers, expecting that such encounters induce Blacks to feel stereotype threat (i.e., concern about being judged and treated unfairly by police because of the stereotype). In Study 1, we asked Black and White participants to report how they feel when interacting with police officers in general. As predicted, Blacks, but not Whites, reported concern that police officers stereotype them as criminals simply because of their race. In addition, this effect was found for Black men but not Black women. In Study 2, we asked Black and White men to imagine a specific police encounter and assessed potential downstream consequences of stereotype threat. Consistent with Study 1, Black but not White men anticipated feeling stereotype threat in the hypothetical police encounter. Further, racial differences in anticipated threat translated into racial differences in anticipated anxiety, self-regulatory efforts, and behavior that is commonly perceived as suspicious by police officers. By demonstrating that Blacks might expect to be judged and treated unfairly by police because of the negative stereotype of Black criminality, this research extends stereotype threat theory to the new domain of criminal justice encounters. It also has practical implications for understanding how the stereotype could ironically contribute to bias-based policing and racial disparities in the justice system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Interviewing to elicit information: Using priming to promote disclosure.

Academic Journal

Dawson, Evan; Hartwig, Maria; Brimbal, Laure; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 39(5), Oct, 2015 pp. 443-450. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Research on implicit cognition has found that activating mental concepts can lead people to behave in ways that are consistent with the primed concept. In a pilot study we tested the effects of priming attachment security on the accessibility of disclosure-related concepts. Subsequently, we tested whether activating disclosure concepts by priming attachment security would influence people’s forthcomingness. Participants (N = 102) delivered a flash drive to a confederate who exposed them to details of a mock eco terrorism conspiracy, which they were subsequently interviewed about. Before being interviewed, half of the participants were primed; the other half were not. Results showed that primed participants disclosed significantly more information than those who were not primed. Our findings highlight the need for further research on basic nonconscious processes in investigative interviews, as such influences can affect the outcome of the interview. The operation of nonconscious influences in such contexts has implications for practitioners, who may be able to utilize priming to facilitate disclosure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

·     

Problems in expert deception detection and the risk of false confessions: No proof to the contrary in Levine et al. (2014).

Academic Journal

Vrij, Aldert; Meissner, Christian A.; Kassin, Saul M.; Psychology, Crime & Law, Vol 21(9), Oct, 2015 pp. 901-909. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Comment/Reply] Abstract: Lie-detection research has shown that observers who rely on nonverbal cues or on verbal cues correctly classify on average 54% of truth tellers and liars. In addition, over the years, countless numbers of innocent people have made false confessions and, in analysing the problem, researchers have implicated both a suspect's vulnerability and the persuasive influence of certain police interrogation tactics. Levine et al. (2014) aim to contribute to these vast bodies of literature by reporting two studies purportedly showing that expert interviewers—when they are permitted to question interviewees—can achieve almost perfect accuracy without eliciting false confessions. We argue that theoretical and methodological aspects of these studies undermine the reliability and validity of the data reported, that as a result the studies do not contribute to the scientific literatures on lie detection and false confessions in any meaningful way, and that the results are dangerously misleading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Investigating the variability of memory distortion for an analogue trauma.

Academic Journal

Strange, Deryn; Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Memory, Vol 23(7), Oct, 2015 pp. 991-1000. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: In this paper, we examine whether source monitoring (SM) errors might be one mechanism that accounts for traumatic memory distortion. Participants watched a traumatic film with some critical (crux) and non-critical (non-crux) scenes removed. Twenty-four hours later, they completed a memory test. To increase the likelihood participants would notice the film's gaps, we inserted visual static for the length of each missing scene. We then added manipulations designed to affect people's SM behaviour. To encourage systematic SM, before watching the film, we warned half the participants that we had removed some scenes. To encourage heuristic SM some participants also saw labels describing the missing scenes. Adding static highlighting, the missing scenes did not affect false recognition of those missing scenes. However, a warning decreased, while labels increased, participants' false recognition rates. We conclude that manipulations designed to affect SM behaviour also affect the degree of memory distortion in our paradigm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Cross-examination educates jurors about missing control groups in scientific evidence.

Academic Journal

Austin, Jacqueline L.; Kovera, Margaret Bull; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Vol 21(3), Aug, 2015 pp. 252-264. Publisher: American Psychological Association; [Journal Article] Abstract: In 2 experiments, we examined the ability of cross-examination to assist mock jurors with assessing the validity of expert evidence about the reliability of eyewitness identifications presented during an armed robbery trial. Participants watched a simulated robbery trial in which an expert described a study examining the effects of stress on eyewitness memory. In both studies, we varied the study’s internal validity (valid or missing a control group) and whether the cross-examination educated jurors about the study’s validity (scientifically informed or scientifically naive). In Experiment 1, we also manipulated the expert type (adversarial court-appointed, adversarial defense-hired, or inquisitorial court-appointed) and in Experiment 2, we varied court type (adversarial or inquisitorial). Irrespective of expert type or court type, jurors who heard scientifically informed cross-examinations provided lower ratings of scientific validity when the expert’s study was missing an appropriate control group than when it was not missing a control group, suggesting that cross-examination may help educate jurors about at least 1 type of internal validity threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Meta-awareness and the involuntary memory spectrum: Reply to Meyer, Otgaar, and Smeets (2015).

Academic Journal

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Lindsay, D. Stephen; Strange, Deryn; Consciousness and Cognition: An International Journal, Vol 34, Jul, 2015 pp. 1-3. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Comment/Reply] Abstract: Reply by the current author to the comments, Flashbacks, intrusions, mind-wandering – Instances of an involuntary memory spectrum: A commentary on Takarangi, Strange, and Lindsay (2014) by T. Meyer (2015) on the original article (see record 2014-31193-026 ). In their commentary, Meyer, Otgaar, and Smeets (2015) raise several important issues about the definitions, characteristics and applications of various involuntary cognitive phenomena. Here we respond to the comments of Meyer et al. in ways that we hope will advance understanding of these issues, and inform future research. In particular, we have focused on the characteristics of involuntary phenomena—particularly in relation to meta-awareness—and the clinical relevance of mind-wandering. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Interviewing strategically to elicit admissions from guilty suspects.

Academic Journal

Tekin, Serra; Granhag, Pär Anders; Strömwall, Leif; Giolla, Erik Mac; Vrij, Aldert; Hartwig, Maria; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 39(3), Jun, 2015 pp. 244-252. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: In this article we introduce a novel interviewing tactic to elicit admissions from guilty suspects. By influencing the suspects’ perception of the amount of evidence the interviewer holds against them, we aimed to shift the suspects’ counterinterrogation strategies from less to more forthcoming. The proposed tactic (SUE-Confrontation) is a development of the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) framework and aims to affect the suspects’ perception by confronting them with statement-evidence inconsistencies. Participants (N = 90) were asked to perform several mock criminal tasks before being interviewed using 1 of 3 interview techniques: (a) SUE-Confrontation, (b) Early Disclosure of Evidence, or (c) No Disclosure of Evidence. As predicted, the SUE-Confrontation interview generated more statement-evidence inconsistencies from suspects than the Early Disclosure interview. Importantly, suspects in the SUE-Confrontation condition (vs. Early and No disclosure conditions) admitted more self-incriminating information and also perceived the interviewer to have had more information about the critical phase of the crime (the phase where the interviewer lacked evidence). The findings show the adaptability of the SUE-technique and how it may be used as a tool for eliciting admissions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The flaw in Amendola and Wixted’s conclusion on simultaneous versus sequential lineups: Comment.

Academic Journal

Wells, Gary L.; Dysart, Jennifer E.; Steblay, Nancy K.; Journal of Experimental Criminology, Vol 11(2), Jun, 2015 pp. 285-289. Publisher: Springer; [Comment/Reply] Abstract: Objective: Our objective was to examine how Amendola and Wixted (A&W, 2014) (see record 2015-24671-002 ) arrived at their conclusion that eyewitness identifications of suspects from simultaneous lineups were supported better by corroborating evidence than were identifications from sequential lineups. Their cases came from a randomized field experiment by Wells et al. (2014).Methods: We gathered information from the A&W article, examined an earlier, more complete report by Amendola et al. (2013), and then confirmed our numbers with Amendola. Results: We discovered that the small subsample (n = 52) on which A&W’s entire conclusion was based was unrepresentative of the larger set of cases (N = 236) in a way that was heavily biased in favor of the simultaneous lineup. Specifically, although the larger data set showed that simultaneous and sequential lineups produced the same rate of adjudicated guilt, their small subsample of 52 cases was highly imbalanced: Among the 30 sequential cases selected, 16 were drawn from the adjudicated-guilty set and 14 were from the not-prosecuted set; among the 22 simultaneous cases selected, 17 were drawn from the adjudicated-guilty set and a mere five were from the not-prosecuted set. This problem could not be known from the article itself. Conclusions: Because adjudicated guilty cases had more corroborating evidence than not-prosecuted cases and because simultaneous and sequential lineups produced equivalent rates of adjudicated guilty outcomes, the small sub-sample of 52 should have reflected this same equivalence. Instead, the sub-sample was stacked against the sequential and in favor of the simultaneous and A&W’s conclusion is not warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

An unrepresentative sample is unrepresentative regardless of the reason: A rejoinder to Amendola and Wixted.

Academic Journal

Steblay, Nancy K.; Dysart, Jennifer E.; Wells, Gary L.; Journal of Experimental Criminology, Vol 11(2), Jun, 2015 pp. 295-298. Publisher: Springer; [Journal Article] Abstract: Objective: Our objective was to assess Amendola and Wixted’s (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2015b, this issue) response to our critique of their conclusions regarding simultaneous and sequential lineups. Methods: We calculated the expected distribution of adjudicated guilty and not guilty cases in the smaller sample of cases for simultaneous and sequential lineups if a stratified sample of the larger set of cases had been used. Results: The results demonstrate more clearly our point that the 52 cases used in the Amendola and Wixted analysis were distributed in a manner that was not representative of the larger sample. Specifically, the 52 cases used by Amendola and Wixted overrepresented the number of cases not prosecuted for the sequential and underrepresented the number of cases not prosecuted for the simultaneous. Conclusions: The outcome measure was strength of corroborating evidence, which is strongly related to whether or not the case was adjudicated guilty. Hence, when comparing simultaneous and sequential lineups, the small subsample that was tested should have reflected the nearly equivalent rates of adjudicated guilty for simultaneous versus sequential. Given the demonstrated unrepresentativeness of the small sample, no conclusions should be reached from these data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Re-conceptualizing 'cooling-off periods' in serial homicide.

Academic Journal

Osborne, Jeffery R.; Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Homicide Studies: An Interdisciplinary & International Journal, Vol 19(2), May, 2015 pp. 188-205. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: Cooling-off periods have been described as the state of returning to the offender’s usual way of life between homicides (Burgess, 2006) and are a crucial factor in defining serial homicide (Douglas, Ressler, Burgess, & Hartman, 1986). If the clinical aspect referring to the offender’s emotional and motivational state is removed, these episodes can be aptly termed time intervals between homicides. Factors such as geography, victim selection, and the offender’s level of social involvement may instead serve as more appropriate starting points for studying this concept. In the present study, these factors were examined using 16 series containing 90 time intervals with a reported median interval length between events of 34.5 days. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The effects of lineup administrator influence and mortality salience on witness identification accuracy.

Academic Journal

Rhead, Lindsey M.; Rodriguez, Dario N.; Korobeynikov, Vladimir; Yip, James H.; Kovera, Margaret Bull; Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, Vol 15(3), May, 2015 pp. 248-274. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: We manipulated mortality salience, perpetrator presence in the lineup, and administrator steering in a mock crime paradigm to examine whether reminders of one’s mortality increase susceptibility to influence from a lineup administrator. When steered toward the suspect, witnesses were more likely to choose, yielding lower lineup rejection rates than double-blind administration. Further, steering administrators effectively guided non-mortality-salient (but not mortality-salient) witnesses toward suspect identifications, regardless of the suspect’s actual guilt. Mortality salience similarly increased suspect identifications relative to the double-blind, non-mortality-salient condition. We discuss the implications of these results for the external validity of laboratory eyewitness research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Detecting lies in the financial industry: A survey of investment professionals' beliefs.

Academic Journal

Hartwig, Maria; Voss, Jason A.; Wallace, D. Brian; Journal of Behavioral Finance, Vol 16(2), Apr, 2015 pp. 173-182. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Research suggests that interpersonal deception is a common phenomenon in many settings. However, to date no research has examined lying and lie detection in the financial industry. This paper presents an empirical examination of investment professionals' beliefs about deception. We obtained survey data from 607 CFA Institute charter holders across the world. Three aspects of deception were included in the survey. First, respondents' beliefs about the behavioral characteristics of lying were examined. Second, perceptions of the prevalence of lies in professional and everyday life were mapped. Third, respondents were asked to estimate their ability to distinguish between lies and truths. The results showed that respondents subscribed to common misconceptions about deceptive behavior, in particular the beliefs that liars are gaze aversive and fidgety. Respondents believed that lying occurs on a daily basis, and that their accuracy in detecting lies exceeds 65%. Previous research suggests that this estimate may be overconfident. Implications of these results and directions for future research on deception in the financial industry are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

News as (hazardous) entertainment: Exaggerated reporting leads to more memory distortion for news stories.

Academic Journal

Lawson, Victoria Z.; Strange, Deryn; Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Vol 4(2), Apr, 2015 pp. 188-198. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: The media is influential in shaping people’s knowledge and beliefs about the world; however, reporters may take liberties with the facts to support a particular view or to create an entertaining story, resulting in biased or even falsified reports. We examined whether news reports with exaggerated details from newspapers and/or television are more likely to lead to memory distortion and whether a warning regarding the media’s potential for exaggeration can reduce memory distortion and increase skepticism for the information contained in the reports. We found that despite being trusted less, more extreme reports were more likely to lead to memory distortion. Further, a warning had no impact on the degree to which memory was distorted or on perceptions of trustworthiness; thus, it is not clear how best to protect news consumers against the negative effects of exaggerated reporting on memory for current events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Alexithymia impairs the cognitive control of negative material while facilitating the recall of neutral material in both younger and older adults.

Academic Journal

Dressaire, Déborah; Stone, Charles B.; Nielson, Kristy A.; Guerdoux, Estelle; Martin, Sophie; Brouillet, Denis; Luminet, Olivier; Cognition and Emotion, Vol 29(3), Apr, 2015 pp. 442-459. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: We investigated the moderating impact of the personality construct alexithymia on the ability of younger and older adults to control the recall of negative and neutral material. We conducted two experiments using the directed forgetting paradigm with younger and older adults. Participants studied negative (Experiment 1) or neutral (Experiment 2) words. Participants were instructed to forget the first half and remember the second half of an entire list of words. Overall, we found that alexithymia impairs the ability of both younger and older adults to cognitively control negative material (through both recall and inhibition). The 'externally oriented thinking' factor of alexithymia appears to play a particularly pertinent role in terms of inhibiting negative material. Furthermore, older adults recalled fewer sought after negative items, but this was not evident in terms of inhibition. In contrast, only age (older adults) negatively impacted the recall of sought after neutral items. Interestingly, alexithymia had the opposite effect: the 'difficulty in identifying emotions' factor of alexithymia was associated with an increased recall of neutral items. We discuss these results in terms of alexithymia and its impact on cognitive control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Event familiarity influences memory detection using the aIAT.

Academic Journal

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Strange, Deryn; Houghton, Emma; Memory, Vol 23(3), Apr, 2015 pp. 453-461. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: The developers of the autobiographical Implicit Association Test (aIAT) describe it as a possible memory detection tool. This claim rests on the assumption the aIAT can reliably and automatically detect the accuracy of autobiographical events. However, the aIAT may be susceptible to factors that affect the assessment of truth vs. falseness, such as the relative familiarity of those events. We compared aIAT performance when participants reported recent vs. childhood autobiographical events, and when participants imagined vs. did not imagine a fabricated autobiographical event. The aIAT was less effective at distinguishing between real and fabricated events from childhood, compared to recent real and fabricated events. Imagining a fabricated event did not affect aIAT performance; however, there was a trend in the data suggesting imagination may have reduced the effect of event recency. Our results provide further evidence that reducing or enhancing source confusion—via familiarity—can influence the predictive value of the aIAT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Remembering public, political events: A cross‐cultural and ‐sectional examination of Australian and Japanese public memories.

Academic Journal

Stone, Charles B.; Luminet, Olivier; Takahashi, Masanobu; Applied Cognitive Psychology, Vol 29(2), Mar-Apr, 2015 pp. 280-290. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: We examined and compared the initiating conditions of flashbulb memory (FBM) confidence and event memory accuracy across two different, yet similar public, political events occurring in two different countries: Australia and Japan. To do so, we seized upon the occurrence of two politically important events: the resignation of the Japanese and Australian Prime Ministers in June 2010. In a series of mean and correlation analyses, we concluded that different factors may determine event memory accuracy and FBM confidence across cultures. In particular, the way different cultures emotionally appraise and rehearse the event, their attitude toward the political parties/their political involvement and self‐construal may have important implications for how individuals accurately remember the event and the confidence they hold for their memories of the context when learning of the event. We discuss avenues of future research to better understand the extent to which cultural differences drove these results. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Memory distortion for traumatic events: The role of mental imagery.

Academic Journal

Strange, Deryn; Takarangi, Melanie K.T.; Frontiers in Psychiatry, Vol 6, Feb 23, 2015 ArtID: 27. Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.; [Column/Opinion] Abstract: Trauma memories – like all memories – are malleable and prone to distortion. Indeed, there is growing evidence – from both field and lab-based studies – to suggest that the memory distortion follows a particular pattern. People tend to remember more trauma than they experienced, and those who do, tend to exhibit more of the 're-experiencing' symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our own research suggests that the likely mechanism underlying that distortion is a failure in people’s source monitoring. After a traumatic experience, intentional remembering (effortful retrieval) and unintentional remembering (intrusive mental imagery) can introduce new details that, over time, assimilate into a person’s memory for the event. We believe that understanding the role these factors play in distorting people’s memories for traumatic experiences is both theoretically and practically important, particularly given their potential role in influencing people’s recovery (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Double-blind photo lineups using actual eyewitnesses: An experimental test of a sequential versus simultaneous lineup procedure.

Academic Journal

Wells, Gary L.; Steblay, Nancy K.; Dysart, Jennifer E.; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 39(1), Feb, 2015 pp. 1-14. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Eyewitnesses (494) to actual crimes in 4 police jurisdictions were randomly assigned to view simultaneous or sequential photo lineups using laptop computers and double-blind administration. The sequential procedure used in the field experiment mimicked how it is conducted in actual practice (e.g., using a continuation rule, witness does not know how many photos are to be viewed, witnesses resolve any multiple identifications), which is not how most lab experiments have tested the sequential lineup. No significant differences emerged in rates of identifying lineup suspects (25% overall) but the sequential procedure produced a significantly lower rate (11%) of identifying known-innocent lineup fillers than did the simultaneous procedure (18%). The simultaneous/sequential pattern did not significantly interact with estimator variables and no lineup-position effects were observed for either the simultaneous or sequential procedures. Rates of nonidentification were not significantly different for simultaneous and sequential but nonidentifiers from the sequential procedure were more likely to use the 'not sure' response option than were nonidentifiers from the simultaneous procedure. Among witnesses who made an identification, 36% (41% of simultaneous and 32% of sequential) identified a known-innocent filler rather than a suspect, indicating that eyewitness performance overall was very poor. The results suggest that the sequential procedure that is used in the field reduces the identification of known-innocent fillers, but the differences are relatively small. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Men’s sexual interest in children: One-year incidence and correlates in a population-based sample of Finnish male twins.

Academic Journal

Santtila, Pekka; Antfolk, Jan; Räfså, Anna; Hartwig, Maria; Sariola, Heikki; Sandnabba, N. Kenneth; Mokros, Andreas; Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders, Vol 24(2), Feb, 2015 pp. 115-134. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: In a study of 1,310 Finnish adult male twins we found that sexual interest in children aged 12 or younger was reported by 0.2% of the sample. Sexual interest in children aged 15 or younger was reported by 3.3%. Participants reporting sexual interest in children aged 15 or younger were younger, reported stronger sexual desire, and had experienced more childhood sexual and nonsexual abuse. The present study is the first to give a population-based estimate of the incidence of sexual interest in children among adult men. The 12-month incidence of sexual interest in children below the age of 16 years is roughly comparable to the one-year incidence of major depression or the lifetime prevalence of transvestitic fetishism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

False memories for dissonance inducing events.

Academic Journal

Rodriguez, Dario N.; Strange, Deryn; Memory, Vol 23(2), Feb, 2015 pp. 203-212. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Memories serve as a 'database' of the self and people often produce distorted memories that support their self-concepts. One, surprisingly untested, possibility is that cognitive dissonance may be one mechanism by which people may misremember their past. We tested this hypothesis using an induced-compliance paradigm: participants either chose or were forced to write a counterattitudinal essay supporting a tuition increase and were afforded the opportunity to reduce dissonance via attitude shift or denial of responsibility. They then reported their memories for the experimental instructions and their initial attitudes (assessed two days prior to the laboratory session). Participants who chose to write the essay exhibited the predicted attitude-shift effect, and were more likely to misremember their initial attitudes and the experimental instruction than those who were forced to write the essay. Overall, our results provide evidence that cognitive dissonance may yield memory distortion, filling a significant gap in the motivated cognition and memory literatures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Subjects: Attitude Change; Cognitive Dissonance; False Memory; Self-Concept; Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs); Thirties (30-39 yrs); Middle Age (40-64 yrs); Male; Female

 

Confessions.

Book

Kassin, Saul M.; Perillo, Jennifer T.; Appleby, Sara C.; Kukucka, Jeff; In: APA handbook of forensic psychology, Vol. 2: Criminal investigation, adjudication, and sentencing outcomes. Cutler, Brian L. (Ed); Zapf, Patricia A. (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2015, pp. 245-270. [Chapter] Abstract: The literature reviewed in this chapter, and the continued discovery of false confessions in actual cases, has inspired various calls for reform. In particular, research has compelled the conclusion that the video recording of interrogations is a necessary safeguard (both to prevent coercive police tactics and to provide judges and juries with an objective record of the process by which the confession was produced); that serious consideration be given to the reform of police interrogations (in particular, the use of tactics that put innocent people at risk to confess); and that psychological experts be permitted to testify at trial, giving testimony that would draw from generally accepted research and assist the trier of fact. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Jury decision making.

Book

Kovera, Margaret Bull; Levett, Lora M.; In: APA handbook of forensic psychology, Vol. 2: Criminal investigation, adjudication, and sentencing outcomes. Cutler, Brian L. (Ed); Zapf, Patricia A. (Ed); Publisher: American Psychological Association; 2015, pp. 271-311. [Chapter] Abstract: For the purposes of this chapter, we will focus our review on the more established literature on juries operating in the United States or similar systems. To that end, we will discuss the importance of identifying the factors that influence jury decision making. Examining these factors allows us to evaluate whether juries are competent to make appropriate legal decisions that follow from the presented evidence and the relevant laws. The types of decisions that juries make vary depending upon whether the dispute to be resolved is criminal or civil in nature, with juries deciding criminal responsibility and guilt in criminal trials, determining defendant liability and monetary awards to compensate the injured party, and to punish reprehensible defendants in civil cases. In these types of cases, there are similar opportunities for juror error, with extralegal information, internal biases, or the misapplication of law inappropriately influencing juror decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

New findings in non-verbal lie detection.

Book

Bond, Charles F.; Levine, Timothy R.; Hartwig, Maria; In: Detecting deception: Current challenges and cognitive approaches. Granhag, Pär Anders (Ed); Vrij, Aldert (Ed); Verschuere, Bruno (Ed); Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015, pp. 37-58. [Chapter] Abstract: In particular, we document a decline effect in non-verbal deception cues, isolate audible from visible components of apparent honesty showing that various cues to honesty are inter-correlated and present a meta-analytic comparison of explicit and implicit lie detection. Although deception researchers have an interest in the determinants of naive deception judgments, the public at large focuses on a different issue: lie detection. We end this chapter by discussing contemporary issues in the accuracy of deception judgments. Here we have reviewed theories and recent research on non-verbal lie detection. We have made a few new contributions. We have documented a tendency for deception cues to decline over time. We have found that individual differences in apparent honesty generalize over deception media, and have discovered that direct judgments yield better lie detection than many indirect methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Exploring the nature and origin of beliefs about deception: Implicit and explicit knowledge among lay people and presumed experts.

Book

Hartwig, Maria; Granhag, Pär Anders; In: Detecting deception: Current challenges and cognitive approaches. Granhag, Pär Anders (Ed); Vrij, Aldert (Ed); Verschuere, Bruno (Ed); Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015, pp. 125-153. [Chapter] Abstract: This chapter focuses on beliefs about deceptive behavior. That is, what behaviors do people associate with lying? In what ways do they believe that liars differ from truth tellers? The behaviors that people believe to be indicative of lying are called subjective cues to deception (in contrast to objective, i.e. actual cues to deception). Such beliefs are of interest for at least two reasons. First, common reasoning about deception is of interest from a basic psychological perspective. Social psychologists have long examined naive psychology , with a particular focus on how naive reasoning may be plagued by shortcomings. Second, beliefs about deceptive behavior are of interest from an applied perspective, as judgments of veracity are central in a number of settings, perhaps most prominently in the legal system. This chapter provides an overview of the available research on subjective cues to deception. We will discuss the methods employed to map beliefs about lying and the populations in which these beliefs have been studied. We will review the patterns emerging from the body of work and gauge the accuracy of people’s reasoning about deception based on the literature on objective cues to deception. The chapter also introduces and discusses a distinction between explicit and implicit knowledge about deception. We conclude with a brief discussion of areas where more empirical research may be warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The strategic use of evidence technique: A conceptual overview.

Book

Granhag, Pär Anders; Hartwig, Maria; In: Detecting deception: Current challenges and cognitive approaches. Granhag, Pär Anders (Ed); Vrij, Aldert (Ed); Verschuere, Bruno (Ed); Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015, pp. 231-251. [Chapter] Abstract: In the present chapter, we have presented the first conceptualization of the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique. We have identified and described the general principles upon which the SUE technique rests, and we have presented a causal model making clear how these principles are related. In addition, we have offered an array of examples illustrating how different SUE tactics may result in different outcomes. We believe that the current conceptualization offers transparency with respect to the processes explaining the effects of the different SUE tactics. In brief, we have explained why the SUE technique works. Drawing on past SUE research, we have been able to provide empirical support of our conceptual arguments. The conceptualization makes it clear that the SUE technique is an integrated system of principles; a system which may generate different outcomes, but which always draws on the very same set of general principles. Importantly, conceptual clarity will allow for a more flexible use of the SUE technique. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Suspects' verbal counter-interrogation strategies: Towards an integrative model.

Book

Granhag, Pär Anders; Hartwig, Maria; Giolla, Erik Mac; Clemens, Franziska; In: Detecting deception: Current challenges and cognitive approaches. Granhag, Pär Anders (Ed); Vrij, Aldert (Ed); Verschuere, Bruno (Ed); Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015, pp. 293-313. [Chapter] Abstract: Our aim in this chapter is to review and organize the scientific literature that exists on suspects’ counter-interrogation strategies, and highlight directions for future research. We define counter-interrogation strategies in a broad sense, and let the term denote all attempts made by a suspect to successfully withstand an interrogation, or expressed differently, to successfully appear as truthful. Here it should also be clarified that the chapter is on the counter-interrogation strategies that influence suspects’ verbal responses. Hence, we do not review so-called countermeasures used to influence the outcome of polygraph tests, and we do not review suspects’ nonverbal strategies. The chapter is structured in the following manner. First, we will briefly introduce the concept of self-regulatory strategies and the psychology of guilt and innocence as a theoretical backdrop for the empirical research to be discussed in the latter part of the chapter. Second, we will review empirical findings acknowledging some very basic differences in the mindset of guilty and innocent suspects. Third, we will introduce a model used for illustrating the causal processes at play, as well as for organizing the empirical research published so far on suspects’ counter-interrogation strategies. Finally, we will provide a few thoughts on possible future directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Searching for suspects: Mugshot files and showups (street identifications).

Book

Lawson, Victoria Z.; Dysart, Jennifer E.; In: Forensic facial identification: Theory and practice of identification from eyewitnesses, composites and CCTV. Valentine, Tim (Ed); Davis, Josh P. (Ed); Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2015, pp. 71-92. [Chapter] Abstract: In the immediate aftermath of a crime, law enforcement may not have evidence to suggest a particular suspect; thus, eyewitnesses may be used for the process of finding suspects. While the creation of facial composites may form part of this process, the eyewitness may also be asked to search photographs of prior offenders or they may be presented with potential suspects singly in a showup either live or in a single photograph. While a vast amount of research has been conducted on how decisions are made in lineups and what factors influence lineup identification decisions, there is comparatively little research on either mugshots or showups as standalone procedures. This section on mugshot searching will review the scientific research on the procedural issues related to mugshot viewing, including the number of photographs viewed, and how they are presented and sorted. The effects of mugshot viewing on subsequent identification accuracy will be discussed at the end of the chapter along with showups, as the research relating to multiple identification procedures is relevant to both procedures. Finally, we will also address the utilization of mugshot searches (and showups) as investigative techniques in criminal cases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Serial homicide in South Africa: Introduction to the special issue.

Academic Journal

Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Labuschagne, Gérard N.; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 12(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 1-3. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Editorial] Abstract: Homicide and serial homicide rates in South Africa have been one of the highest homicide rates in Sub-Saharan Africa and in the world. Thus, South Africa's investigative resources are stretched beyond capacity, which hinders solvability rates. There is therefore a very real need for methods that may help identify and link series to aid investigators. The research outlined in this special issue on serial homicide in South Africa in the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling was initiated to deal with some of these concerns. The first paper in the issue notes that although some features are similar to serial homicide cases occurring outside of South Africa, other features may be unique to South Africa, and yet, other behaviors may take on a different meaning or interpretation in the South African context than they may have in Western contexts. This highlights the need for caution about generalizing statements about serial homicide, especially in the context of offender profiling and linkage analysis. Another article in this special issue aims to give an overview of the baselines of crime scene behaviors as well as the demographics of serial homicide offenders and victims in South Africa and compare these to the demographics of offenders and victims from other currently available empirical studies of other countries. Serial homicide is a crime that knows no national boundaries. In some countries, there has been a great deal of research about the phenomenon; in others, there has been very little. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

An examination of serial homicide in South Africa: The practice to research link.

Academic Journal

Labuschagne, Gérard N.; Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 12(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 4-17. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: In this paper, South African serial homicide cases will be used to illustrate how practice can inform research and how research can aid practice by highlighting key questions that need to be answered and practice‐based assumptions that need to be empirically tested. The cases will also be used to highlight some of the unique features of series in South Africa. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

South African serial homicide: Offender and victim demographics and crime scene actions.

Academic Journal

Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Labuschagne, Gerard N.; Horning, Amber M.; Sorochinski, Marina; De Wet, Jackie; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 12(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 18-43. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: There is an abundance of literature on serial homicide from a Western perspective that outlines operational definitions, types of offenders and how they prey upon their victims. However, currently, there is a lack of studies that compare serial homicide in different countries. The current study aims to give an overview of the demographics of serial homicide offenders and victims in South Africa and compare these to the demographics of offenders and victims from other currently available empirical studies of other countries. The sample consisted of 33 out of the total 54 solved series in South Africa between 1936–2007, which includes a total of 33 offenders, 302 victims, and 254 crime scenes. Results of the sample as a whole showed that South African serial homicide offenders are similar to offenders in other countries in terms of their actions at the crime scene and victim choice, with some notable exceptions. Additional analysis looked at the offender's consistency of targeting certain types of victims across their homicide series in comparison with the patterns of serial homicide offenders in other countries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The social psychology of false confessions.

Academic Journal

Kassin, Saul M.; Social Issues and Policy Review, Vol 9(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 25-51. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.; [Journal Article] Abstract: Inspired by DNA exoneration cases and other wrongful convictions of innocent people who had confessed to crimes they did not commit, and drawing from basic principles of social perception and social influence, a vast body of research has focused on the social psychology of confessions. In particular, this article describes laboratory and field studies on the 'Milgramesque' processes of police interviewing an interrogation, the methods by which innocent people are judged deceptive and induced into confession, and the rippling effects of these confessions on judges, juries, lay and expert witnesses, and the truth‐seeking process itself. This article concludes with a discussion of social and policy implications—including a call for the mandatory video recording of entire interrogations, blind testing in forensic science labs, and the admissibility of confession experts in court. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

South African serial homicide: A victim‐focused behavioural typology.

Academic Journal

Horning, Amber M.; Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Labuschagne, Gerard N.; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 12(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 44-68. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: This current study assessed the value of the Interpersonal Model in differentiating serial homicide offences in South Africa, notably in terms of how the offender may display behavioural patterns that are indicative of them dealing with the victim as a Person, an Object, or a Vehicle. The sample consisted of 302 offences committed by 33 offenders that occurred from 1953 to 2007 in South Africa. Multidimensional scaling analysis was used to test the Interpersonal Model and results indicated that crime themes did not directly correspond to the threefold model. Instead, two crime scene types were present: Victim as Object (where the focus was on tangible gains, interaction with the victim throughout the phases of the crime was limited, and victims included men and live women) and Victim as Vehicle (where the victim might be construed as a conduit through whom the offender could realise their specific psychological needs, the interaction was extensive, and victims tended to be vulnerable). South African serial homicides did not appear to have a specific sub‐theme of Victim as Person, suggesting that the themes engaged in centred more on instrumentally focused actions but in qualitatively different ways. However, victim types were integral to the overall behavioural model. Using the Victim as Object/Vehicle dichotomy, 85.7% of the offences could be seen to engage dominantly in one of the two patterns at the crime scene. This not only supported the results of a twofold model, but having these many offenders showing a dominant crime scene type also shows that the model is an excellent representation of serial homicide offending in South Africa. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Classification of planning and violent behaviours in serial homicide: A cross‐national comparison between South Africa and the US.

Academic Journal

Sorochinski, Marina; Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Labuschagne, Gerard N.; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 12(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 69-82. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: Recent literature suggests that different ‘styles’ of homicide will most appropriately be reflected in the different types of behaviours committed by offenders during the crime. In the last few years, there has been a move to standardise classification systems of single homicides and establish their cross‐national generalisability. Literature on serial homicide to date has mostly centred on homicides occurring in the US. However, national differences due to factors such as culture, national identity, political, and socio‐economic circumstances may decrease the applicability of these models or certain aspects thereof in other countries and thus must be evaluated. The present study tested the applicability in the South African context of a recently developed US‐based serial homicide crime scene classification framework. Specifically, this study compared the thematic differentiation in planning and violent behaviours that the offenders engage in and how this differentiation compares with that in the US. The sample consisted of 25 homicides that were in total responsible for the murder of 267 victims. Results indicated that overall, the framework is useful and applicable in the South African sample, but important environmental and contextual constraints must be taken into account. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

South African serial homicide: Consistency in victim types and crime scene actions across series.

Academic Journal

Salfati, C. Gabrielle; Horning, Amber M.; Sorochinski, Marina; Labuschagne, Gerard N.; Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Vol 12(1), Jan, 2015 pp. 83-106. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: Key to understanding the significance of behavioural evidence for linkage purposes is in establishing how consistently an offender displays the same or similar behaviours across their series. There have however to date been very few studies aiming at identifying salient components of offending behaviour that can be used reliably for linking individual crimes as part of a single series. In addition, studies that have been conducted have all dealt with serial homicide in the Western world and have been based on small samples of cases from each country. Some of the recent literature has started to disentangle some of these salient features, notably the victim, violence levels, control, and planning. The current study focused on evaluating the consistency of these features across series, using a sample of serial homicides from South Africa consisting of 30 offenders with a total of 283 victims and 235 crime scenes. Results indicate that the level of interaction with the victim may be influential to the stability or instability of offending patterns across the series. How offenders approach planning in their offence also showed a certain degree of consistency, with patterns of violence being the least consistent across the series of all components tested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Child maltreatment, trauma‐related psychopathology, and eyewitness memory in children and adolescents.

Academic Journal

McWilliams, Kelly; Harris, Latonya S.; Goodman, Gail S.; Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Vol 32(6), Nov-Dec, 2014 pp. 702-717. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: Two experiments were conducted to examine eyewitness memory in children and adolescents (9‐ to 15‐years‐old) with and without known histories of maltreatment (e.g., physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence). In Experiment 1, participants (N = 35) viewed a positive film clip depicting a congenial interaction between family members. In Experiment 2, participants (N = 31) watched a negative film clip in which a family argument was shown. Younger age and higher levels of trauma‐related psychopathology significantly predicted commission errors to direct questions when the positive family interaction had been viewed, but not when the negative family interaction had been shown. Maltreatment history was not a significant unique predictor of memory performance for the positive or negative film clip. Implications for a scientific understanding of the effects of child maltreatment on memory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Personally relevant vs. nationally relevant memories: An intergenerational examination of World War II memories across and within Belgian French-speaking families.

Academic Journal

Stone, Charles B.; van der Haegen, Aurélie; Luminet, Olivier; Hirst, William; Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Vol 3(4), Dec, 2014 pp. 280-286. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: We examined whether and how memories and knowledge of World War II (WWII) transmit across generations. We recruited five French-speaking Belgian families and interviewed one member from each generation. As the oldest generation had to be alive during WWII, their interviews constituted 'memories' while the interviews of the middle and youngest generation constituted 'knowledge', as they were not alive during WWII. Each individual was asked about four WWII events specific to Belgium (two of which were likely to be controversial, i.e., collaboration and the Royal Question), and the source from which they learned about these four events: was it communicatively (e.g., through familial discussions) or culturally (e.g., social artifacts: books, school, monuments, etc.) transmitted? Our results suggest that transmission of memories and knowledge across generations was limited. The oldest generation, who were children during the war, and the middle generation knew about the WWII events discussed in the interviews, particularly the oldest generation. The youngest generation, however, did not. Furthermore, for the most part, all generations, in discussing memories of the WWII events, told nationally relevant memories. If the oldest generation discussed personally relevant memories, these memories sometimes transmitted to the middle generation and rarely to the youngest. We discuss these results in terms of Assmann and Czaplicka's (1995; Assmann, 2011) distinction between communicative and cultural memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

How awareness of possible evidence induces forthcoming counter‐interrogation strategies.

Academic Journal

Luke, Timothy J.; Dawson, Evan; Hartwig, Maria; Granhag, Pär Anders; Applied Cognitive Psychology, Vol 28(6), Nov-Dec, 2014 pp. 876-882. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: We propose that suspects' counter‐interrogation strategies vary as a function of their perception of the interrogator's knowledge about the events in question. The present study investigates the verbal behavior of guilty and innocent suspects when they are aware that there may be incriminating evidence against them. Participants (N = 143) took part in either a simulated act of terrorism or a benign task. They were then interviewed about their activities. Participants were randomly assigned to receive no additional information or to be informed that an investigative team may have collected evidence from surveillance cameras. Results suggest that when alerted to possible evidence against them, guilty suspects adopt either extremely withholding or extremely forthcoming verbal strategies. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Emotional impact feedback affects how people remember an analogue trauma event.

Academic Journal

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Segovia, Daisy A.; Dawson, Evan; Strange, Deryn; Memory, Vol 22(8), Nov, 2014 pp. 1041-1051. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Do external motivational processes—in the form of social influences—shape people's memories for trauma? In this experiment, we examined the effects of social influence on memory and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology for an analogue traumatic event. Seventy-two participants watched a distressing film; some received feedback about others' reactions to the film that either emphasised or downplayed the distressing nature of the film; control participants received no feedback. A week later, participants reported their symptoms, rated their memory on a number of characteristics and we tested their memory for the film's content. Participants who received feedback downplaying the film reported fewer PTSD-related analogue symptoms and weaker memory characteristics than their counterparts. The results suggest that people's memory phenomenology and analogue symptoms are influenced by others' feedback, but only when others' reactions downplayed the distressing nature of the film. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Interviewing to detect deception: When to disclose the evidence?

Academic Journal

Sorochinski, Marina; Hartwig, Maria; Osborne, Jeffery; Wilkins, Eugenia; Marsh, Jonathan; Kazakov, Dmitriy; Granhag, Pär Anders; Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, Vol 29(2), Oct, 2014 pp. 87-94. Publisher: Springer; [Journal Article] Abstract: Research shows that there are few objective cues to deception. However, it may be possible to create such cues by strategic interviewing techniques. Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) is one such technique. The basic premise of the SUE technique is that liars and truth tellers employ different counter-interrogation strategies, and that the evidence against the suspect can be used to exploit these differences in strategies. This study examined the effect of the timing of evidence disclosure (early vs. late vs. gradual) on verbal cues to deception. We predicted that late disclosure would be most effective in differentiating between liars and truth-tellers, and that cues to deception in the gradual disclosure condition would progressively disappear due to the suspects’ realization that evidence against them exists. That is, we expected that liars in the gradual presentation condition would become more consistent with the evidence over time. A sample of 86 undergraduate students went through a mock-terrorism paradigm (half innocent, half guilty), and were subsequently interviewed using one of three disclosure strategies: early, gradual, and late disclosure. We measured statement-evidence inconsistencies as cues to deception . Results supported our predictions in that cues to deception were most pronounced in the late disclosure condition. Contrary to our expectations, the results suggested that presenting the evidence gradually may put innocent suspects at a higher risk of misclassification as they seem to adopt a strategy that is more similar to guilty suspects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Examining pretrial publicity in a shadow jury paradigm: Issues of slant, quantity, persistence and generalizability.

Academic Journal

Daftary-Kapur, Tarika; Penrod, Steven D.; O'Connor, Maureen; Wallace, Brian; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 38(5), Oct, 2014 pp. 462-477. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of pretrial publicity (PTP) on mock juror decision making. Specifically, we examined the influence of quantity and slant of the PTP (proprosecution vs. prodefense), the persistence of PTP effects over time, and whether the PTP effects demonstrated in research laboratories would also occur in more naturalistic settings (generalizability). Using a shadow jury paradigm we examined these effects using a real trial as stimulus. Mock jurors included 115 jury-eligible community members who were naturally exposed to PTP in the venue in which the actual case occurred and 156 who were experimentally exposed. We found mock jurors were significantly influenced by both the slant and quantity of the PTP to which they were exposed, such that those exposed to proprosecution or prodefense PTP tended to render decision in support of the party favored in the PTP, and those exposed to greater quantities of PTP tended to be more biased. Additionally, PTP effects persisted throughout the course of the trial and continued to influence judgments in face of trial evidence and arguments. A finding of no significant difference in the effect of exposure slant between the naturally exposed and experimentally exposed samples provides support for the external validity of laboratory studies examining PTP effects. This research helps address some of the concerns raised by courts with regard to the durability of PTP effects and the application of laboratory findings to real world settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Lie detection from multiple cues: A meta‐analysis.

Academic Journal

Hartwig, Maria; Bond, Charles F. Jr.; Applied Cognitive Psychology, Vol 28(5), Sep-Oct, 2014 pp. 661-676. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; [Journal Article] Abstract: Despite the importance of judgments of veracity in many settings, research suggests that it is difficult to detect lies. In this meta‐analysis, we assess the detectability of lies from constellations of multiple cues, with a particular focus on whether lie detectability increases as the conditions approach real‐life, forensic settings, as some critics of laboratory research have argued. We synthesized 144 samples, including 9380 liars and truth tellers providing a total of 26,866 messages. We examined the accuracy with which deception could be predicted on the basis of multiple behavioral cues and to what extent lie detectability was moderated by the motivation of the sender, the presence of strong emotion, the content of the lie, the context in which the lie was told, and the demographics of the senders. The findings show that lies can be detected with nearly 70% accuracy. This level of detectability is stable across settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Hypothesis testing in attorney-conducted voir dire.

Academic Journal

Otis, Caroline Crocker; Greathouse, Sarah M.; Kennard, Julia Busso; Kovera, Margaret Bull; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 38(4), Aug, 2014 pp. 392-404. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Attorneys may hold expectations about jurors based on stereotypes about the relationships between demographic characteristics and attitudes. Attorneys test their hypotheses about prospective jurors during voir dire, but it is unclear whether their questioning strategies are likely to produce accurate information from jurors. In 2 studies, attorneys and law students formulated voir dire questions to test a particular hypothesis about the attitudes held by a prospective juror (venireperson) and provided their subsequent inferences about that individual given certain hypothetical responses to the questions. Bayes’s theorem was used to compare attorneys’ actual conclusions about the venireperson with the conclusions they would reach if correctly using the available information. Attorneys’ conclusions were biased by the questions they asked, and in some cases, by the hypothesis that they were asked to test. Compared with normative models derived using Bayes’ theorem, attorneys overrelied on venirepersons’ responses when drawing conclusions about their attitudes. These findings suggest that even if traditional attorney-conducted voir dire elicited accurate information about prospective jurors’ attitudes, attorneys may not use that information to draw normatively accurate conclusions about the attitudes that they hold. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Dehumanization as a distinct form of prejudice.

Academic Journal

Wilde, Vera Katelyn; Martin, Karin D.; Goff, Phillip Atiba; TPM-Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, Vol 21(3), Sep, 2014 pp. 301-307. Publisher: Cises, Srl; [Journal Article] Abstract: Racial equity scholars and advocates confront a defining paradox in contemporary racial inequality. Explicit prejudice has declined, while outcome disparities persist, a disconnect previously referred to as the Attitude, Inequality Mismatch (AIM) problem (Goff, 2013). This article helps explain the AIM problem by distinguishing different forms of prejudice — both conceptually and predictively — and focusing on dehumanization, which predicts the worst of intergroup outcomes. Pinpointing the distinct causes and consequences of dehumanization as a distinct category rather than simply an extreme form of prejudice is important for future social psychology research and action regarding intergroup conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

‘I'd know a false confession if I saw one’: A constructive replication with juveniles.

Academic Journal

Honts, Charles R.; Kassin, Saul M.; Craig, Ronald A.; Psychology, Crime & Law, Vol 20(7), Aug, 2014 pp. 695-704. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: We report two experiments concerning the ability of laypersons to assess the credibility of confessions given by incarcerated juveniles. Participants were 401 college students who were asked to make 3208 true or false judgments and confidence estimates of the juveniles' confessions. Judgment accuracy was poor across two experiments averaging 52.8% correct with the participants showing a small truth bias in their judgments. Audio and video presentation modes resulted in more accurate judgments than did transcripts. Participants were moderately confident in their accuracy judgments and confidence was sometimes weakly associated with accuracy. A believability index developed from judgments and confidence consistently showed significant, but small, differences in the evaluations of true and false confessions with audio and video presentation, but not with transcripts. Our results suggest that, as with adults, a high degree of caution is necessary when evaluating confessions given by juveniles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-report may underestimate trauma intrusions.

Academic Journal

Takarangi, Melanie K. T.; Strange, Deryn; Lindsay, D. Stephen; Consciousness and Cognition: An International Journal, Vol 27, Jul, 2014 pp. 297-305. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: Research examining maladaptive responses to trauma routinely relies on spontaneous self-report to index intrusive thoughts, which assumes people accurately recognize and report their intrusive thoughts. However, 'mind-wandering' research reveals people are not always meta-aware of their thought content: they often fail to notice shifts in their attention. In two experiments, we exposed subjects to trauma films, then instructed them to report intrusive thoughts during an unrelated reading task. Intermittently, we asked whether they were thinking about the trauma. As expected, subjects often spontaneously reported intrusive thoughts. However, they were also 'caught' engaging in unreported trauma-oriented thoughts. The presence and frequency of intermittent probes did not influence self-caught intrusions. Both self-caught and probe-caught intrusions were related to an existing tendency toward intrusive cognition, film-related distress, and thought suppression attempts. Our data suggest people may lack meta-awareness of trauma-related thoughts, which has implications for theory, research and treatment relating to trauma-related psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

'Midnight confessions': The effect of chronotype asynchrony on admissions of wrongdoing.

Academic Journal

Scherr, Kyle C.; Miller, Jeffrey Conrath; Kassin, Saul M.; Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Vol 36(4), Jul, 2014 pp. 321-328. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Confession evidence is highly incriminating in court. We examined the interaction between chronotype and time of day on the confession decisions of 60 participants using an experimental paradigm. Pre-identified morning- and evening-type people were randomly assigned to participate in morning or evening sessions. Results supported an interactional asynchrony hypothesis that individuals are more likely to confess during 'off-peak' periods (i.e., evening-types in the morning and morning-types in the evening). This interaction was obtained for both high- and low-seriousness transgressions. These results suggest that chronotype asynchrony constitutes a significant risk factor for false confessions and the wrongful convictions that often follow. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The effects of mortality salience and reminders of terrorism on perceptions of interrogation techniques.

Academic Journal

Luke, Timothy J.; Hartwig, Maria; Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, Vol 21(4), Jul, 2014 pp. 538-550. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: Through a novel application of terror management theory, we investigated the effect of mortality salience and reminders of terrorism on people's perceptions of the effectiveness and acceptability of interrogation techniques. A dimensional structure by which people perceive interrogation techniques was identified. Mortality salience was found to induce higher levels of acceptance of violent and demeaning techniques, but no other significant effects were found. In line with terror management theory, the effect of mortality salience on only the perceived acceptability of violent interrogation techniques suggests that people may be motivated to endorse the usage of punitive techniques on military prisoners, regardless of the perceived effectiveness of these techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Dissonance-induced false memories: Evidence from a free-choice paradigm.

Academic Journal

Rodriguez, Dario N.; Strange, Deryn; Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Vol 26(5), Jul, 2014 pp. 571-579. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: People often misremember the past as consistent with the present. Recent research using an induced-compliance paradigm has revealed that cognitive dissonance is one mechanism that can underlie this memory distortion. We sought to replicate and extend this finding using a free-choice paradigm: Participants made either an easy or a difficult choice between two smartphones and, either immediately or two days later, reported their memories for their decision experience. Participants who made a difficult decision produced the spread-of-alternatives effect expected by dissonance theory, and they were also more likely than those in the easy conditions to misremember their initial decision more favourably than they had initially rated it. Overall, our findings replicate the effect of dissonance on memory distortion and, further, show that the effect generalises to other dissonance-inducing situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Do confessions taint perceptions of handwriting evidence? An empirical test of the forensic confirmation bias.

Academic Journal

Kukucka, Jeff; Kassin, Saul M.; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 38(3), Jun, 2014 pp. 256-270. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: Citing classic psychological research and a smattering of recent studies, Kassin, Dror, and Kukucka (2013) proposed the operation of a forensic confirmation bias, whereby preexisting expectations guide the evaluation of forensic evidence in a self-verifying manner. In a series of studies, we tested the hypothesis that knowing that a defendant had confessed would taint people’s evaluations of handwriting evidence relative to those not so informed. In Study 1, participants who read a case summary in which the defendant had previously confessed were more likely to erroneously conclude that handwriting samples from the defendant and perpetrator were authored by the same person, and were more likely to judge the defendant guilty, compared with those in a no-confession control group. Study 2 replicated and extended these findings using a within-subjects design in which participants rated the same samples both before and after reading a case summary. These findings underscore recent critiques of the forensic sciences as subject to bias, and suggest the value of insulating forensic examiners from contextual information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Justifying atrocities: The effect of moral-disengagement strategies on socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting.

Academic Journal

Coman, Alin; Stone, Charles B.; Castano, Emanuele; Hirst, William; Psychological Science, Vol 25(6), Jun, 2014 pp. 1281-1285. Publisher: Sage Publications; [Journal Article] Abstract: A burgeoning literature has established that exposure to atrocities committed by in-group members triggers moral-disengagement strategies. There is little research, however, on how such moral disengagement affects the degree to which conversations shape people’s memories of the atrocities and subsequent justifications for those atrocities. We built on the finding that a speaker’s selective recounting of past events can result in retrieval-induced forgetting of related, unretrieved memories for both the speaker and the listener. In the present study, we investigated whether American participants listening to the selective remembering of atrocities committed by American soldiers (in-group condition) or Afghan soldiers (out-group condition) resulted in the retrieval-induced forgetting of unmentioned justifications. Consistent with a motivated-recall account, results showed that the way people’s memories are shaped by selective discussions of atrocities depends on group-membership status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The essence of innocence: Consequences of dehumanizing Black children.

Academic Journal

Goff, Phillip Atiba; Jackson, Matthew Christian; Di Leone, Brooke Allison Lewis; Culotta, Carmen Marie; DiTomasso, Natalie Ann; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 106(4), Apr, 2014 pp. 526-545. Publisher: American Psychological Association; [Journal Article] Abstract: The social category 'children' defines a group of individuals who are perceived to be distinct, with essential characteristics including innocence and the need for protection (Haslam, Rothschild, & Ernst, 2000). The present research examined whether Black boys are given the protections of childhood equally to their peers. We tested 3 hypotheses: (a) that Black boys are seen as less 'childlike' than their White peers, (b) that the characteristics associated with childhood will be applied less when thinking specifically about Black boys relative to White boys, and (c) that these trends would be exacerbated in contexts where Black males are dehumanized by associating them (implicitly) with apes (Goff, Eberhardt, Williams, & Jackson, 2008). We expected, derivative of these 3 principal hypotheses, that individuals would perceive Black boys as being more responsible for their actions and as being more appropriate targets for police violence. We find support for these hypotheses across 4 studies using laboratory, field, and translational (mixed laboratory/field) methods. We find converging evidence that Black boys are seen as older and less innocent and that they prompt a less essential conception of childhood than do their White same-age peers. Further, our findings demonstrate that the Black/ape association predicted actual racial disparities in police violence toward children. These data represent the first attitude/behavior matching of its kind in a policing context. Taken together, this research suggests that dehumanization is a uniquely dangerous intergroup attitude, that intergroup perception of children is underexplored, and that both topics should be research priorities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The showup identification procedure: An exploration of systematic biases.

Academic Journal

Lawson, Victoria Z.; Dysart, Jennifer E.; Legal and Criminological Psychology, Vol 19(1), Feb, 2014 pp. 54-68. Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.; [Journal Article] Abstract: Purpose: Showups are common, yet little research has investigated the biasing factors that may influence showup identifications. We investigated the effects of cross‐race conditions and clothing bias on showup identification decisions. Additionally, we explored identification decisions made in a subsequent lineup dependent on race, clothing, and showup‐target‐presence. Methods: Participants watched a mock crime and were presented with a showup in which suspect race, target‐presence, and the clothing worn by the suspect were varied. Following a delay, participants viewed a target‐present or ‐absent lineup and were asked to make a second identification decision. Results: Presentation of the suspect in the clothing worn by the perpetrator increased choosing rates in both own‐race and other‐race conditions. Despite this, differential patterns of decision response latencies indicated that eyewitnesses may use clothing information differently when making own‐race compared to other‐race identification decisions. No evidence for an own‐race bias in showup identifications was found; however, other‐race lineup identifications were less accurate than own‐race lineup identifications. Further, participants in own‐race and other‐race conditions differed in the extent to which they were affected by multiple identification procedures. Viewing an own‐race innocent suspect in a showup increased subsequent false lineup identifications, while choosing the innocent suspect from the showup was necessary to increase false lineup identifications in other‐race conditions. Conclusions: Different situational factors may affect the identification accuracy of eyewitnesses in own‐race and other‐race conditions for both showup and lineup procedures. Particular caution is advised when showups are clothing‐biased and multiple identification procedures are used. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Does video recording alter the behavior of police during interrogation? A mock crime-and-investigation study.

Academic Journal

Kassin, Saul M.; Kukucka, Jeff; Lawson, Victoria Z.; DeCarlo, John; Law and Human Behavior, Vol 38(1), Feb, 2014 pp. 73-83. Publisher: Educational Publishing Foundation; [Journal Article] Abstract: A field study conducted in a midsized city police department examined whether video recording alters the process of interrogation. Sixty-one investigators inspected a staged crime scene and interrogated a male mock suspect in sessions that were surreptitiously recorded. By random assignment, half the suspects had committed the mock crime; the other half were innocent. Half the police participants were informed that the sessions were being recorded; half were not. Coding of the interrogations revealed the use of several common tactics designed to get suspects to confess. Importantly, police in the camera-informed condition were less likely than those in the -uninformed condition to use minimization tactics and marginally less likely to use maximization tactics. They were also perceived by suspects—who were all uninformed of the camera manipulation—as trying less hard to elicit a confession. Unanticipated results indicated that camera-informed police were better able to discriminate between guilty and innocent suspects in their judgments and behavior. The results as a whole indicate that video recording can affect the process of interrogation—notably, by inhibiting the use of certain tactics. It remains to be seen whether these findings generalize to longer and more consequential sessions and whether the camera-induced differences found are to be judged as favorable or unfavorable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Strategic Use of Evidence during investigative interviews: The state of the science.

Book

Hartwig, Maria; Granhag, Pär Anders; Luke, Timothy; In: Credibility assessment: Scientific research and applications. Raskin, David C. (Ed); Honts, Charles R. (Ed); Kircher, John C. (Ed); Publisher: Elsevier Academic Press; 2014, pp. 1-36. [Chapter] Abstract: Judging veracity is an important part of investigative interviewing. The aim of this chapter is to review the literature on a technique developed to assist interviewers in judging the veracity of the reports obtained in interviews. More specifically, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the research program on the Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique. The SUE technique is an interviewing framework that aims to improve the ability to make correct judgments of credibility, through the elicitation of cues to deception and truth. As such, it is not a general framework that will accomplish all goals relevant to interviewing and interrogation. However, as will be shown in this chapter, the SUE approach can help an interviewer plan, structure, and conduct an interview with a suspect in such a way that cues to deception may become more pronounced. As will be described, the SUE technique relies on various forms of strategic employment of the available information or evidence. While the SUE technique was originally developed to plan, structure, conduct, and evaluate interviews in criminal contexts, the theoretical principles apply to interviews and interrogations in other contexts, including those in which the goal is intelligence gathering. We will first provide an overview of the core findings from a vast body of research on human ability to judge truth and deception. This overview will serve to contextualize the research on the SUE technique and illustrate the ways in which the technique departs from many other lie detection techniques. After reviewing basic work on judgments of truth and deception, we will turn to the fundamental principles on which the SUE framework is based. We will describe the central role of counter-interrogation strategies (i.e., the approaches suspects adopt in order to reach their goal during an interview), and we will review both theoretical and empirical work on the topic of counter-interrogation strategies. Subsequently, we will describe research on how to translate the basic theoretical principles into interview tactics. That is, we will describe research on strategic questions that aim to produce different responses from truthful and deceptive suspects. We will also review approaches to disclose the information in varying forms to produce cues to concealment and deception. Finally, we will offer the first meta-analysis of the available SUE research, in order to provide a quantitative synthesis of the literature to date. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

 

Memory development in the forensic context.

Book

Goodman, Gail S.; Ogle, Christin M.; McWilliams, Kelly; Narr, Rachel K.; Paz-Alonso, Pedro M.; In: The Wiley handbook on the development of children's memory. Bauer, Patricia J. (Ed); Fivush, Robyn (Ed); Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2014, pp. 920-941. [Chapter] Abstract: The legal system looks to developmental scientists for guidance about children's eyewitness memory abilities. Protection of children from trauma, on the one hand, and protection of innocent adults from false report, on the other, can rest on our understanding of children's abilities to accurately bear witness to criminal events. Because of the importance of the issues involved, the scientific study of children's eyewitness memory has become an international effort. It strives to give voice to those who were previously voiceless while attempting to ensure accuracy and completeness of children's reports so that justice can be served. It strives to protect children, such as those sexually abused by their own pediatrician, as well as to protect innocent adults such as Clarence Elkins, who spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit. That an insistent 2-year-old broke a case of child sexual abuse involving actions by her own doctor—abuse that had been ongoing in the community for 11 years—reminds us not to underestimate child witnesses. However, we cannot afford to overestimate their abilities either. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Memory for child sexual abuse information: Simulated memory error and individual differences.

Academic Journal

McWilliams, Kelly; Goodman, Gail S.; Lyons, Kristen E.; Newton, Jeremy; Avila-Mora, Elizabeth; Memory & Cognition, Vol 42(1), Jan, 2014 pp. 151-163. Publisher: Springer; [Journal Article] Abstract: Building on the simulated-amnesia work of Christianson and Bylin (Applied Cognitive Psychology, 13, 495–511, 1999), the present research introduces a new paradigm for the scientific study of memory of childhood sexual abuse information. In Session 1, participants mentally took the part of an abuse victim as they read an account of the sexual assault of a 7-year-old. After reading the narrative, participants were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: They (1) rehearsed the story truthfully (truth group), (2) left out the abuse details of the story (omission group), (3) lied about the abuse details to indicate that no abuse had occurred (commission group), or (4) did not recall the story during Session 1 (no-rehearsal group). One week later, participants returned for Session 2 and were asked to truthfully recall the narrative. The results indicated that, relative to truthful recall, untruthful recall or no rehearsal at Session 1 adversely affected memory performance at Session 2. However, untruthful recall resulted in better memory than did no rehearsal. Moreover, gender, PTSD symptoms, depression, adult attachment, and sexual abuse history significantly predicted memory for the childhood sexual abuse scenario. Implications for theory and application are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Forgetting our personal past: Socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting of autobiographical memories.

Academic Journal

Stone, Charles B.; Barnier, Amanda J.; Sutton, John; Hirst, William; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol 142(4), Nov, 2013 pp. 1084-1099. Publisher: American Psychological Association; [Journal Article] Abstract: People often talk to others about their personal past. These discussions are inherently selective. Selective retrieval of memories in the course of a conversation may induce forgetting of unmentioned but related memories for both speakers and listeners (Cuc, Koppel, & Hirst, 2007). Cuc et al. (2007) defined the forgetting on the part of the speaker as within-individual retrieval-induced forgetting (WI-RIF) and the forgetting on the part of the listener as socially shared retrieval-induced forgetting (SS-RIF). However, if the forgetting associated with WI-RIF and SS-RIF is to be taken seriously as a mechanism that shapes both individual and shared memories, this mechanism must be demonstrated with meaningful material and in ecologically valid groups. In our first 2 experiments we extended SS-RIF from unemotional, experimenter-contrived material to the emotional and unemotional autobiographical memories of strangers (Experiment 1) and intimate couples (Experiment 2) when merely overhearing the speaker selectively practice memories. We then extended these results to the context of a free-flowing conversation (Experiments 3 and 4). In all 4 experiments we found WI-RIF and SS-RIF regardless of the emotional valence or individual ownership of the memories. We discuss our findings in terms of the role of conversational silence in shaping both our personal and shared pasts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Induced forgetting and reduced confidence in our personal past? The consequences of selectively retrieving emotional autobiographical memories.

Academic Journal

Stone, Charles B.; Luminet, Olivier; Hirst, William; Acta Psychologica, Vol 144(2), Oct, 2013 pp. 250-257. Publisher: Elsevier Science; [Journal Article] Abstract: People build their sense of self, in part, through their memories of their personal past. What is striking about these personal memories is that, in many instances, they are inaccurate, yet confidently held. Most researchers assume that confidence ratings are based, in large part, on the memory's mnemonic features. That is, the more vivid or detailed the memory, the higher the confidence people have in its accuracy. However, we explore a heretofore under appreciated source on which confidence ratings may be based: the accessibility of memories as a result of selective retrieval. To explore this possibility, we use Anderson, Bjork, and Bjork's retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) paradigm with emotional (positive and negative) autobiographical memories. We found the standard RIF effect for memory recall across emotional valence. That is, selective retrieval of emotional autobiographical memories induced forgetting of related, but not retrieved emotional autobiographical memories compared to the baseline. More interestingly, we found that the confidence ratings for positive memories mirrored the RIF pattern: decreased confidence for related, unpracticed autobiographical memories relative to the baseline. For negative memories, we found the opposite pattern: increased confidence for both practiced autobiographical memories and related, unpracticed autobiographical memories. We discuss these results in terms of accessibility, the diverging mnemonic consequences of selectively retrieving positive and negative autobiographical memories and personal identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Remembering President Barack Obama's inauguration and the landing of US Airways Flight 1549: A comparison of the predictors of autobiographical and event memory.

Academic Journal

Koppel, Jonathan; Brown, Adam D.; Stone, Charles B.; Coman, Alin; Hirst, William; Memory, Vol 21(7), Oct, 2013 pp. 798-806. Publisher: Taylor & Francis; [Journal Article] Abstract: We examined and compared the predictors of autobiographical memory (AM) consistency and event memory accuracy across two publicly documented yet disparate public events: the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States on January 20th 2009, and the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549, off the coast of Manhattan, on January 15th 2009. We tracked autobiographical and event memories for both events, with assessments taking place within 2½ weeks of both events (Survey 1), and again between 3½ and 4 months after both events (Survey 2). In a series of stepwise regressions we found that the psychological variables of recalled emotional intensity and personal importance/centrality predicted AM consistency and event memory accuracy for the inauguration. Conversely, the rehearsal variables of covert rehearsal and media attention predicted, respectively, AM consistency and event memory accuracy for the plane landing. We conclude from these findings that different factors may underlie autobiographical and event memory for personally and culturally significant events (e.g., the inauguration), relative to noteworthy, yet less culturally significant, events (e.g., the plane landing). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)