Psychology 3313 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Arson, Offender Profiling, Psychopathology

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 3313
• Professor: Janes

Document Summary

Suspects questioned for 2 reasons: obtain more information. 3-step approach: gather evidence, conduct non-accusatory interview to assess guilt. Interrupt suspect"s denials: confront suspect with his/her guilt, allow suspect to justify/rationalize crime. 3: overcome suspect"s objections passivity, once withdrawal occurs, move closer, exhibit sympathy and understanding- come clean , suspect offered face-saving explanations for crime, once suspect accepts responsibility, turn into full confession, get suspect to write and sign full confession. Can"t really detect deception so people who are innocent will also undergo coercive interrogations. Bias leads to expectancies which influence interrogations and even suspects. Aggressive and/or coercive interrogations will result in more anxious suspects (making them appear more guilty) People may not realize that they don"t need to talk to the investigators. If there is a confession, even if it"s later retracted, it is still heavily against the defendant. Most people assume that confessions are voluntary , and spontaneous but, in reality, many are negotiated.