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The variable influence of confession inconsistencies: how factual errors (but not contradictions) reduce belief in suspect guilt
Citation
Holt, GA and Palmer, MA, The variable influence of confession inconsistencies: how factual errors (but not contradictions) reduce belief in suspect guilt, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 35, (1) pp. 232-242. ISSN 0888-4080 (2020) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
DOI: doi:10.1002/acp.3757
Abstract
Wrongful conviction statistics suggest that jurors pay little heed to the quality of confession evidence when making verdict decisions. However, recent research indicates
that confession inconsistencies may sometimes reduce perception of suspect guilt.
Drawing on theoretical frameworks of attribution theory, correspondence bias, and
the story model of juror decision-making, we investigated how judgments about
likely guilt are affected by different types of inconsistencies: self-contradictions
(Experiment 1) and factual errors (Experiment 2). Crucially, judgments of likely guilt of
the suspect were reduced by factual errors in confession evidence, but not by contradictions. Mediation analyses suggest that this effect of factual errors on judgments of
guilt is underpinned by the extent to which mock-jurors generated a plausible, alternative explanation for why the suspect confessed. These results indicate that not all
confession inconsistencies are treated equally; factual errors might cause suspicion
about the veracity of the confession, but contradictions do not.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | confessions, wrongful conviction, juror decisions, attribution, suspicion |
Research Division: | Psychology |
Research Group: | Applied and developmental psychology |
Research Field: | Forensic psychology |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in psychology |
UTAS Author: | Palmer, MA (Associate Professor Matt Palmer) |
ID Code: | 141696 |
Year Published: | 2020 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 1 |
Deposited By: | Psychology |
Deposited On: | 2020-11-11 |
Last Modified: | 2021-05-12 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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