Saul Kassin

Lawrence S. Wrightsman

When the prosecution introduces confession testimony during a criminal trial, the effect is usually overwhelming. In fact, jurors′ verdicts are affected more by a confession than by eyewitness testimony. While eyewitness studies are massive in numbers, the topic of confession evidence has been largely ignored by psychologists and other social scientists. Confessions in the Courtroom seeks to rectify this discrepancy. This timely book examines how the legal system has evolved in its treatment of confessions over the last half century and discusses, at length, the U.S. Supreme Court′s decision regarding Arizona v. Fulminante which caused a reassessment of the acceptability of confessions generated under duress. The authors examine the causes of confessions and the interrogation procedure used by the police. They also evaluate the process for determining the admissability of confession testimony and provide excellent research on jurors′ reactions to voluntary and coerced confessions. Social scientists, attorneys, members of the criminal justice system, and students will find Confessions in the Courtroom to be an objective and readable treatment on this important topic. "In this short volume, the authors seek "to describe and evaluate what we know about confessions given to police and their impact at the subsequent trial." It is a comprehensive review of the social psychological literature and legal decisions surrounding confessions. One of the primary strengths of the manuscript is the interplay between social science and law fostered by the authors′ clear understanding of the boundaries between these disciplines and appreciation of the substantive areas they share. . . . [The authors] have produced a comprehensive and imminently readable legal and psychological treatise on confessions, valuable for established scholars and for students." --Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

Confessions in the Courtroom

Examining the psychology of Supreme Court decision-making, this book seeks to understand almost all aspects of the Supreme Court's functioning from a psychological perspective. It addresses many factors of influence, including the background of the justices, how they are nominated and appointed, the role of their law clerks, and more.

The Psychology of the Supreme Court

Saul M. Kassin

First Published in 1988. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Psychological Perspectives

The American Jury on Trial

Phillip R. Shaver

John Paul Robinson

This volume is sponsored by Division 9 of the American Psychological Association: The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.****This is an essential reference book for any social scientist or student who uses measuresof attitude or personality in his or her research. The earlier version, published twenty years ago, was to be found on the shelf of virtually everyone who worked in the field. Serves as an update and extension of a highly useful book published twenty years ago Employs a systematic standardized evaluation of 150 scales Chapters on specific types of scales are written by experts in those subfields

Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes

Nancy E. Walker

Catherine M. Brooks

The authors of this volume provide discussion on vital issues related to the rights of children in the United States, including: the historical and contextual perspective on the rights of children; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the differing views on children's rights and competencies; and the rights of children within the family, the social service system, the health care system, the educational system, the juvenile justice system and in employment.

In Search of a National Policy

Children's Rights in the United States

The causes of confessions, the acceptability of confessions extracted under duress and the interrogation procedures used by police are among the topics explored in this volume. The authors examine how the North American legal system has evolved in its treatment of confessions over the past 50 years, evaluate the process for determining the admissability of confession testimony and provide research findings on jurors' reactions to voluntary and coerced confessions.

Social Psychology in the Seventies

Kay Deaux

Francis C. Dane

"The foundation of social psychology is the "fact" that the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of each person affect and are affected by the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of others." --p.vii.

Social Psychology in the '90s

John Carl Brigham

Contemporary Issues in Social Psychology

Kassin and Wrightsman's book concentrates on the single most important determinant of verdicts -- the evidence and court procedure. It is divided into four parts: (1) an overview and historical perspective; (2) seven substantive topics like eyewitness accounts, confessions, and character evidence; (3) an examination of the major stages of trial procedure; and (4) a provocative discussion of the role that psychology does, and should, play in the judicial process. Written in non-technical language, this book should have a broad appeal to students, researchers and litigants alike. `Chapters are extremely well written and documented. The work is highly recommended for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and legal profess

The Psychology of Evidence and Trial Procedure

The American Jury On Trial

Our suppositions about human nature colour everything from the way we bargain with a used-car dealer to our expectations about further conflict in the Middle East. Our assumptions about human nature underlie our reactions to specific events. Wrightsman designed this second edition of his book to enhance our understanding of many significant issues about human nature, including the relationship of attitudes to behaviour, the unidimensionality of attitudes and the influence of social movements on beliefs.

Assumptions about Human Nature

With the media spotlight on the recent developments concerning the Supreme Court, more and more people have become increasingly interested in the highest court in the land. Who are the justices that run it and how do they make their decisions? The Psychology of the Supreme Court by Lawrence S. Wrightsman is the first book to thoroughly examine the psychology of Supreme Court decision-making. Dr. Wrightsman's book seeks to help us understand all aspects of the Supreme Court's functioning from a psychological perspective. This timely and comprehensive work addresses many factors of influence including, the background of the justices, how they are nominated and appointed, the role of their law clerks, the power of the Chief Justice, and the day-to-day life in the Court. Dr. Wrightsman uses psychological concepts and research findings from the social sciences to examine the steps of the decision-making process, as well as the ways in which the justices seek to remain collegial in the face of conflict and the degree of predictability in their votes. Psychologists and scholars, as well as those of us seeking to unravel the mystery of The Supreme Court of the United States will find this book to be an eye-opening read.

John P. Robinson

Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes: Volume 1 in Measures of Social Psychological Attitudes Series provides a comprehensive guide to the most promising and useful measures of important social science concepts. This book is divided into 12 chapters and begins with a description of the Measures of Personality and Social Psychological Attitudes Project's background and the major criteria for scale construction. The subsequent chapters review measures of "response set"; the scales dealing with the most general affective states, including life satisfaction and happiness; and the measured of self-esteem. These topics are followed by discussions of measures of social anxiety, which is conceived a major inhibitor of social interaction, as well as the negative states of depression and loneliness. Other chapters examine the separate dimensions of alienation, the predictive value of interpersonal trust and attitudes in studies of occupational choice and racial attitude change, and the attitude scales related to locus of control. The final chapters look into the measures related to authoritarianism, androgyny, and values. This book is of great value to social and political scientists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, non-academic professionals, and students.

Measures of Social Psychological Attitudes

Julie A. Allison

Rape is probably the most misunderstood of violent crimes. The dynamics related to both rapists and rape victims are explored in this volume, which dispels many mistaken beliefs about rape by synthesizing current research from a psychological perspective. Among the topics explored are: that only a very small proportion of rapists are ever convicted; that when an accusation of rape is made, it is the victim who too often becomes the focus of attention; and that while the stereotype of the rapist as a madman, a stranger to the victim, is still prevalent, most rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.

Lawrence S. Wrightsman

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