The CIT was first introduced by David Lykken in 1959 and originally named the Guilty Knowledge Test (GKT). Opposite to the CQT, which asks direct questions (e.g., “Did you break into the jewelry store?”) and then compares the physiological reactions with a control question (e.g., “Have you ever taken something that did not belong to you?”), the CIT is an indirect questioning technique that determines if a suspect has knowledge of crime details. The primary aim of CIT is to detect knowledge about specific crime details rather than asking directly about participation in a crime (Lykken, 1959, 1974). Therefore, the CIT compares relevant items (also referred to as “key items”) such as features of the crime that only the perpetrator could know, …show more content…
A relevant item must always be something the perpetrator was likely to pay attention to and would be able to recall during the test. The control item would be something similar and a plausible alternative (e.g., “What was stolen at the jewelry store last night? Was it A) a ring?, B) a necklace?, C) a bracelet?, D) Gold?, E) a diamond, or F) a pair of earrings?”). Usually the test consists of four to six (or more) multiple-choice questions with one relevant detail each and four to five alternative answers. Questions are usually asked indirectly and answers are shown in multiple-choice format. Another way of presenting the answers is visually by using photos, scenes, or faces. It is important to mention that pictures should be kept as simple as possible to not distract from the relevant key item. This is because if there is too much detail in the picture the relevant key item may not be identified as …show more content…
The rates for false-negative classifications, on the other hand, have been much higher, especially in the field, with up to 58% of undetected guilty subjects (Elaad, 1990). However, the study referred to is critically discussed, as the CIT was carried out under subpar conditions and substantial differences between laboratory settings and real-life situations exist. The perception and memory of crime related details is different as optimal conditions that can be provided in laboratory settings are not given in the field. Various factors may interfere with the test, such as that some relevant information might be overlooked especially during strong excitement. In experimental setups information to which subjects are exposed to can be controlled. In order to address this issue, only items that seem plausible and recognized by most people (at least 80%), whether they possess crime knowledge or not, should be used (Lykken, 1981). Therefore, to receive lower rates on false-negative classifications, the CIT conditions in the field should duplicate the laboratory settings as closely as possible. Another point of criticism was the use of a single measure as an indicator of deception. Studies have shown that combined physiological measurements amount to superior results over individual measurements (Gamer, Verschuere, Crombez & Vossel,
Costanzo, M., & Krauss, D. (2012). Forensic and legal psychology: Psychological science applied to law. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
As a result of Ford’s threatening interrogatories, the four suspects made a false confession, in which they stated that they committed the murder. The tight, dark room and the long time the interrogatories took made the four men subject to Ford’s psychological abuse and falsely confessed. Most of them said that they told him what he wanted to hear. The author Chapman (2013) argued that, “psychological research is applied to interrogation, the result can be that the officer already believes that the suspect committed the crime and is not likely to take no as an answer,” (p.162).
After reviewing the article “Inside Interrogation: The Lie, The Bluff, and False Confessions”, it became very evident the huge problem with interrogations and false confessions in the criminal justice system is with false confession. Jennifer T. Perillo and Saul M. Kassin crafted three distinct experiments to try and better understand false confessions and how trues the actual numbers in real life are. What Perillo and Kassin were trying to prove is that “the bluff technique should elicit confessions from perpetrators but not from innocents” (Perillo, Kassin 2010). What is called the “Bluff Technique” is an interrogation technique that uses a sort of threat or hint that there is certain proof that a person will think is more of a promise for
This paper will consider eye witness testimony and its place in convicting accused criminals. Psychology online (2013) defines “eye witness testimony” as a statement from a person who has witnessed a crime, and is capable of communicating what they have seen, to a court of law under oath. Eye witness testimonies are used to convict accused criminals due to the first hand nature of the eye witnesses’ observations. There are however many faults within this system of identification. Characteristics of the crime is the first issue that will be discussed in this paper, and the flaws that have been identified. The second issue to be discussed will be the stress impact and the inability to correctly identify the accused in a violent or weapon focused crime. The third issue to be discussed is inter racial identification and the problems faced when this becomes a prominent issue. The fourth issue will be time lapse, meaning, the time between the crime and the eye witness making a statement and how the memory can be misconstrued in this time frame. To follow this will be the issue of how much trust jurors-who have no legal training-put on to the eye witness testimony, which may be faltered. This paper references the works of primarily Wells and Olsen (2003) and Rodin (1987) and Schmechel et al. (2006) it will be argued that eye witness testimony is not always accurate, due to many features; inter racial identification, characteristics of the crime, response latency, and line up procedures therefore this paper will confirm that eyewitness testimonies should not be utilised in the criminal ju...
The Central Park Jogger case is one of false confessions to a crime, with a little help from police, which the defendants did not commit. Evidence taken at the crime scene did exclude the defendants, however, because of videotaped confessions they were sentenced to prison for a crime they admitted to committing even though they did not. It was not until many years later did the original perpetrator step forward from prison to admit he was the one who committed the crime with evidence (DNA) and firsthand knowledge of the scene. The five original defendants were released from prison but until serving a lengthy term. There are cues that can be noticed when investigators are conducting preliminary interviews that have a very high rate of success in determining the guilt or innocence of an individual. Some of these cues may be verbal such as a rehearsed response (Kassin, 2005). Other types of cues may be nonverbal body language such as a slouching (Kassin, 2005).
"The fact is that white-collar criminals are, in general, incredibly good at deluding themselves that they’re good people, even when they clearly aren’t." according to Felix Salmon on white-collar crime. The definition of a criminal is a person who has committed a crime but if you were to ask a white-collar criminal they wouldn't consider themselves a criminal. Many of the convicted white-collar criminals contrast their actions with "real" criminals who commit street crime. First I will summarize "Denying the Guilty Mind:Accounting for Involvement in White-Collar Crime" written by Micheal L. Benson. Then I will use information from my criminology class to better define white collar crimes. Lastly, I will define Strain Theory and how it relates to white-collar crimes The increase of certain strains that cause negative emotions such as frustration and anger better known as Strain Theory is the cause of white-collar crime.
For this book report, I decided to read Hugo Münsterberg's On the Witness Stand. This book contains essays on psychology and crime and eyewitness testimony. Today this book is used as a reference for many issues in forensic psychology. For this report, I focused on two chapters of the book: Illusions and the Memory of the Witness. I am going to first summarize the two chapters I read then talk about what was going on at the time this book was written. I will then report some of the research in the book, and finish with my opinion on how this book has contributed to the literature and how it relates to the current knowledge of forensic psychology.
Costanzo, M., & Krauss, D. (2012). Forensic and Legal Psychology: Psychological Science Applied to Law. New York: Worth Publishers.
Depending on what study is read, the incidence of false confession is less than 35 per year, up to 600 per year. That is a significant variance in range, but no matter how it is evaluated or what numbers are calculated, the fact remains that false confessions are a reality. Why would an innocent person confess to a crime that she did not commit? Are personal factors, such as age, education, and mental state, the primary reason for a suspect to confess? Are law enforcement officers and their interrogation techniques to blame for eliciting false confessions? Regardless of the stimuli that lead to false confessions, society and the justice system need to find a solution to prevent the subsequent aftermath.
Many of today’s interrogation models being utilized in police investigations have an impact on false confessions. The model that has been in the public eye recently is the social psychological process model of interrogation known as the “The Reid Technique.” There are two alternatives used by the police today to replace the Reid Technique, one is the PEACE Model and the other is Cognitive Interviewing. These methods are not interrogation techniques like Reid but interview processes.
Wells, G. L., & Bradfield, A. L. (1998). “Good, you identified the suspect”: Feedback to eyewitness distorts their reports of the eyewitness experience. Journal of Applied Psychology, 83(3), 360-376.
Historically, crime and criminals have always caught the attention of law-abiding citizens. Whenever there is mention of serial killers or unsolved murders or abductions, psychological profiling, now a household term, floats to the top of the list of concerns (Egger, 1999). Psychological profiling is an attempt to provide investigators with more information about an offender who has not yet been identified (Egger, 1999). Its purpose is to develop a behavioral composite that combines both sociological and psychological assessment of the would-be offender. It is generally based on the premise that an accurate analysis and interpretation of the crime scene and other locations related to the crime can indicate the type of person who could have committed the crime (Egger, 1999).
Greenfield, D. (2007). Introduction to forensic psychology. issues and controversies in crime and justice. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 35(2), 201-201-204,105-106.
Since it is the reactions, rather than the answers, that the polygraph machine measures, it is not necessary for suspects to answer the questions in order for the CIT to be effective (Walczyk 2013). Since only guilty suspects would recognize and react to a detailed description of a crime, the theory is that the guilty suspect is the only one whose physiological reactions will consistently coincide with accurate depictions of the crime (Verschuere 2005; Verschuere 2004; Walczyk 2013). The premise seems to be generally sound, as the accuracy of the CIT is estimated to be about 76%-83%, and thus is a promising venue for future research and refinement. (Verschuere
Understanding Psychology and Crime; Perspectives on Theory and Action, New York. PENNINGTON, D ( 2002) , Introducing Psychology: Approaches, Topics and Methods, London, Hodder Arnold TANNENBAUN, B, (2007),Profs link criminal behaviour to genetics [online] , Available at: http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2007/11/profs_link_criminal_behavior_to_genetics [accessed 16th October 2011]. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/41182390/Explanations-of-Criminal-behaviour