SOCIAL PSYC AND THE LAW Flashcards
▫Define forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is the application of psychological research to the criminal justice system.
(example: determine how existing psychological knowledge can explain various legal phenomena. and Try to create new procedures and protocols using existing Psychological knowledge to improve criminal justice system)
▫Explain how groupthink can affect criminal investigations
people seek concurrence. many people practice self-censorship and have an illusion of unanimity resulting in tunnel vision, failure to reappraise alternatives, selective processing of information.
▫Understand why eyewitness accuracy can be poor
what we see is very often different than what we remember actually happened.
memory isn’t perfect, we reconstruct not recall fully.
-Because we’re tryna turn a holistic image into its constituent pieces.
-Lower accuracy also in identifying someone of another ethnicity.
Memory distortion also plays a role in accurate memory recall, ▫Memory ≠ video recorder; reconstructive process▫Misleading questions can create false memories or distort existing memories▫Subject to “weapon focus effect” = tendency to focus attention on unusual or significant objects such as weapons vs. other aspects of a scene
▫Discuss the issues that hinder police lineup identification
When presented simultaneously (6 pictures) a witness is more likely to just pick anyone. (Tend to make relative judgments)
When presented sequentially witness is more accurate in their selection(one at a time) (forced to make absolute judgments)
ISSUE is tho that witnesses are still susceptible to suggestions.
▫Suggest best practices for police lineups
Sequential Presentation
Make sure any unusual characteristics (tattoos, piercings) are applicable to everyone in the lineup
Use double-blind procedures (nobody should know if the suspect is in the lineup or who it is if they’re In the line up)
Tell the eye witness the suspect may or may not be in this lineup
Understand how genetic explanations affect perceptions of criminal responsibility and attributions
stressed
emotionally tapped out
▫Differentiate between the Reid Technique, the Big Brother technique, and the PEACE model
Reid technique:
-Primarily in the US
-Emphasis on obtaining confession vs. Fact-finding
-broken down into two main stages:
1. Try to determine whether someone is lying by using non-accusatory language in a non-accusatory interview.
If deemed to be lying, you progress into nine-step accusatory approach, categorized into three phases..
Custody and isolation
Confrontation
minimization - Try to downplay their role in a crime just to get them to confess
Benefits of this technique -
1. Very effective in breaking down denials and resistance 2.Very effective in eliciting confessions
Criticisms of REID TECHNIQUE:
1. Essentially just a psychologically coercive version of the “third degree”
2. Ethically questionable components:
Ex. Officers can lie about evidence
Some European countries have banned various aspects of the Reid Technique.
Mr. Big Technique
-Not exactly interrogation - more like an undercover operation.
-Emphasis on obtaining confession vs. Fact finding
-Used when police are convinced of ones guilt; but needs confession due to lack of evidence
-Used by undercover police, involves resource intensive, long term, elaborate setup
-Relies on need for acceptance
-Questionable constitutionality
-Similar benefits and criticisms as reid technique.
STING INVOLVES- Create an elaborate scheme around the person you think is bad. Undercover cop recruits suspect into gang, “interview” to go from low level to high level job. “Confess” to meet “Mr. big” so gang can “clean up”
PEACE MODEL:
- Interdisciplinary development process
- Aims to minimize false confessions
- Emphasis on fact finding vs, getting confession
- Meant to create fairness and openness
Preparation and planning - Investigators meet together to try and figure out what questions to ask. Often involves the defense counsel as well.
Engage and explain - When there is an actual meeting with the suspect and police, investigators explain to the suspect what the process looks like and they don’t have to answer questions they don’t wanna.
Account and clarification - account is where they say tell us what happened on that date (don’t interrupt at all) clarification is where you now come and ask your clarifying questions.
Closure - Where they officially tell the suspect that they are done and summarize the things said in the meeting.
Evaluation - The investigators come together and discuss what went well and didn’t go well and where do they go from here with what they know.
Neither guilt presumptive nor accusatory
no deception is allowed, no false evidence is allowed to be presented
yields superior false confession rate reduction in lab studies compared to reid technique.
What is deception detection?
polygraph, brain scans.
Very complicated, our internal state our lie both lead to leakages detected through hot spots.
How to use a polygraph?
- Measures skin response, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate.
- all come together to create a signature of whether someone is likely or unlikely to be deceptive.
- Difficult to interpret -guilt? fear? anxiety? anger?
- Accuracy rate ranges from 70-90% – acceptable to use in a courtroom??
What are the particular hot spots in micro expressions?
=Uncontrolled facial expressions occurring for a fraction of a second.
*May consist of some or all parts of an emotional expression.
Based on the 6 basic emotions. Happy, sad, angry, surprise, disgust, fear.
Hot spots do not mean you’re lying but the microexpressions…
