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Full-Text Articles in Other Psychology
Investigating True And False Confessions Within A Novel Experimental Paradigm, Melissa B. Russano
Investigating True And False Confessions Within A Novel Experimental Paradigm, Melissa B. Russano
Melissa B. Russano, Ph.D.
The primary goal of the current study was to develop a novel experimental paradigm with which to study the influence of psychologically based interrogation techniques on the likelihood of true and false confessions. The paradigm involves guilty and innocent participants being accused of intentionally breaking an experimental rule, or ‘‘cheating.’’ In the first demonstration of this paradigm, we explored the influence of two common police interrogation tactics: minimization and an explicit offer of leniency, or a ‘‘deal.’’ Results indicated that guilty persons were more likely to confess than innocent persons, and that the use of minimization and the offer of …
The Psychology Of Interrogations And False Confessions: Research And Recommendations, Melissa B. Russano
The Psychology Of Interrogations And False Confessions: Research And Recommendations, Melissa B. Russano
Melissa B. Russano, Ph.D.
Instances of wrongful conviction in North America and Great Britain have uncovered numerous cases in which an innocent suspect has provided a false confession to a crime. As a result, social scientists have studied the interrogation process in an effort to understand the factors that may lead to such false confessions. In the present article, we review what is known about the psychology of police interrogations, including critical aspects of investigative bias, coercive interrogation techniques, and vulnerabilities of the suspect that can increase the likelihood of obtaining a false confession. We also discuss a novel alternative approach to the interrogation …