Area 3 forensics psychology Flashcards
what must suspects being interviewed must know?
they must be cautioned/ under caution by Code C of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE)
what is the caution in the england given to suspects?
you do no have to say anything but it may harm your defense if you don’t mentioned when questioned something which you may later rely on in court. anything you do say may be given in evidence
how is the caution similar/different in the US?
they are told the 5th ammendent which is the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney even if you cant afford one. shows how it is cross cultural but differs
what is an interview?
like a conversation where the interviewee doesn’t have to reply, no abuse is present and it is non accusatory it assesses the truthfulness and profile someone it is recorded psychologically manipulating,
what is a interregation?
pushy, prying, one sided, accusing them, want to elicit the truth and obtain a confession
how are interviews/ interregations ethnocentric?
there are cultural variations for example in places such as korea and russia there is more interregations than interviews as they are a different culture
what is the reid technique?
interview technique that consists of 9 steps
what are the first 5 steps of the reid technique?
positive confrontation
theme development
handiling denials
overcoming objections
procurement and retention of suspects attention
what are the last 4 steps of the reid technique?
handling suspects passive mood
presenting an alternative question
getting suspect to confess orally
oral confession to written
what does kassin believe about interregations?
suggests that interrogation is a guilt presumptive process. The outcome of the interrogation is measured by gaining a confession. For innocent suspects it is hoped that interrogators recognise this and re evaluate their evidence and beliefs.
what did gudjohnson find about willingness to comply?
found that individuals who score high on self report measures of compliance are more vulnerable because of their eagerness to please others and a desire to avoid confrontation from those in authority.
what else could affect false confessions?
age as someone may be more intiidated and compliant if they are younger or elderly
how does psychological disorders affect false confessions?
they are more susceptible to making false confessions due to distorted memories ad perceptions.
Redlich (2007) reported offenders with mental illness self reported a 22% lifetime false confession rate.
what is the birmingham 6 case?
had false confessions in the IRA bombing in Birmingham and wrongfully convicted , they were overturned as 4/6 of them had forced confessions
what are the 4 factors surrounding a confession that Gudjonsson argues need to be investigated to find out if a confession has been produced through coercion?
The defendant: s often come from the very young, very old,low IQ of mental disorder sufferers
The arrest: Suspects arrested suddenly or in middle of the night or interrogated for long periods of time more likely to make false confessions.
Mental/Physical state: if suspect is stressed, ill, intoxicated etc
The interrogation: Coercive, biased or leading interview tactics can encourage vulnerable suspects to make false confessions.
what is the main way evidence is colected from wotnesses?
standard interview that involves rapid fire questions and frequent interruptions
what is the biggest limitation of the standard interview?
it is far standardised (consistent)
Memon & Higham recommend against using the Standard interview.
grant?
Found the more meaningful the material the more likely it is to be remembered.
loftus and palmer?
Found a response bias and altered representations in EWT
bartlett?
people confabulate and reconstruct memory based on what they expect to have happened.
godden and baddley
Environmental context using divers remembering words under water and recalling in the same environment under water and on the beach.
what did by Fisher & Geiselman devise?
the cognitive interview
what are the 4 components of the cognitive interview?
context reinstatement
report everything
different perspectives
change the recall order
what did fisher study?
tested the CI in the field using interviews with real witnesses
what did fisher do?
CI were conducted by 16 police detectives from the robbery division of Dade County, Florida – 7 were trained in the CI technique. data analysed by blind students at uni of cali
what did fisher find?
63% more information was obtained by the detectives who were trained in CI than the untrained, (IV’s), it is useful for gaining additional info
what is the enhanced CI?
Getting the social dynamics right
Facilitating communication and control.
Free Reporting & Context Reinstatement
Use open ended questions
Introduce important questions
Closure for the Witness
Interviewer should evaluate the interview
what are the 4 key parts of memon and highams review?
components of the CI
relationship between the CI and other methods
quality of training
memory techniques
what are the 4 components of the CI/
Reinstate the context of the crime
report everything
recall from a different perspective
recall in a different order
did M+H say the components of the CI work?
context reinstatement- useful as it maximizes info recalled
reporting everything can be useful to cross reference with others but is time consuming
different perspectives- may lead to fabrication
dif order- produces lots of info
what are the other methods that are compared to the CI?
standard interview- interuptions, rapid fire questions
guided memory- context reinstatement used
structured- no cognitive techniques but more positive than standard
what did M+H say about the other interviews?
standards- has some traits that CI doesn’t have but not useful to compare due to ID of interviewers
guided- reasonable comparison group however the rapport with witness affects the interview not just cog techniques
structured- both SI and CI can be effective good control group
what is the quality of training given to those doing a CI on witnesses/
they are provided with instructions and not trained in depth, some interviewers found it was exhausting to do
what did M+H think about the quality of training to CI interviewers?
all interviewers need 2 days training and it may be better to direct training at specific officers who look like a better fit for the role of an interviewer
what are the measures of memory in the CI?
output is greater in the CI
switching order increases accuracy
performance is measured b y the % of correct statements
what did M+H believe about the measures of memory?
goldsmith model predicts poorer accuracy with increased output
changing order has better accuracy than the % of correct statements
what are the applications for topic 3?
PEACE framework
audio recordings
cognitive interview
leading questions
what is the PEACE framework?
developed for avoiding false confessions and is non accusatory in the UK
what does the p stand for in the PEACE framework?
planning and preparation
create and record a written interview plan and arrangements for certain people eg child victims, vulnerable witnesses
what does the e stand for in the Peace framework?
engage and explain
conversation is encouraged and the interviewer emngages with the witness to establish rapport and develop lines of arguement
what does the a stand for in PEACE franework?
account, clarification and challenge
using open ended prompts, support account with active listening and no interruptions
what does the c stand for in the PEACE framework?
closure
having a planned and structured interview so it doesn’t end abruptly
what does the second/final e stand for in the PEACE framework?
evaluation
interviewer needs time to reflect on the interview
procedure of audio recordings?
is real evidence and interview took place. under PACE act recordings are required. the recording must be loaded infront of a witness and unwrapped and they must be told verbally it is recording it.
name of everryone present and their role, why its taking place, when +where
audio must be signed by interviewee and interviewer cautioned at end of interview and given free legal advice
what evidence is there for context reinstatement/
grant
what evidence is there for leading questions?
loftus and palmer
