Psychological Science and the Law

Psychological research can provide constructive explanations of key problems in the criminal justice system--and can help generate solutions. This state-of-the-art text dissects the psychological processes associated with fundamental legal questions: Is a suspect lying? Will an incarcerated individual be dangerous in the future? Is an eyewitness accurate? How can false memories be implanted? How do juries, experts, forensic examiners, and judges make decisions, and how can racial and other forms of bias be minimized? Chapters offer up-to-date reviews of relevant theory, experimental methods, and empirical findings. Specific recommendations are made for improving the quality of evidence and preserving the integrity of investigative and legal proceedings.

Neil Brewer, PhD, is Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Flinders University, South Australia. He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. His research addresses eyewitness identification and recall, juror judgments and, recently, interactions between individuals with autism spectrum disorder and the justice system. He has served as Editor of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied and as an editorial board member for all the major psychology–law journals.
 
Amy Bradfield Douglass, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Department Chair at Bates College. She teaches statistics and upper-level courses on psychology and law and psychology of religion. Her research focuses on how eyewitnesses make decisions, how eyewitness errors can be prevented, how social interactions with lineup administrators affect retrospective witness judgments, and how people perceive and evaluate eyewitnesses. She is an editorial board member and former Associate Editor of Law and Human Behavior.
 
 

Introduction: Psychology and the Criminal Justice System, Amy Bradfield Douglass & Neil Brewer
1. Criminal Profiling, Laura Fallon & Brent Snook
2. Cognitive Bias in Legal Decision Making, Steve Charman, Amy Bradfield Douglass, & Alexis Mook
3. Interrogations and Confessions, Stephanie Madon, Curt More, & Ryan Ditchfield
4. Deception Detection, Christopher A. Gunderson & Leanne ten Brinke
5. Eyewitness Memory, Sean M. Lane & Kate A. Houston
6. Interviewing Witnesses and Victims, Lorraine Hope & Fiona Gabbert
7. Child Witnesses, Thomas D. Lyon, Kelly McWilliams, & Shanna Williams
8. False Memory, Maria S. Zaragoza, Ira Hyman, & Quin M. Chrobak
9. Eyewitness Identification, James D. Sauer, Matthew A. Palmer, & Neil Brewer
10. Identifying People from Images, David White & Richard Kemp
11. Plea Bargaining, Miko M. Wilford, Annabelle Shestak, & Gary L. Wells
12. Competence to Stand Trial and Criminal Responsibility, Lauren E. Kois, Preeti Chauhan, & Janet I. Warren
13. Expert Testimony, Stephanie Marion, Jeffrey Kaplan, & Brian Cutler
14. Jury Decision Making, Liana C. Peter-Hagene, Jessica M. Salerno, & Hannah Phalen
15. Aggression, Violence, and Psychopathy, Devon L. L. Polaschek
16. Judicial Decision Making, Gregory Mitchell
17. Translating Psychological Science into Policy and Practice, Nancy K. Steblay
Index