The present study examined jurors' evaluations of retracted confessions as a function of the amount of trivial detail within the confession and level of interrogation pressure. Participants in the experimental conditions read a transcript of a murder trial involving a suspect who confessed in a high-pressure or low-pressure situation and provided either a high or low amount of detail. A no-confession control version, in which the suspect denied all allegations against him, was also included in the study. Although one analysis suggested that a high-amount of detail within the confession might make it more likely that jurors would give higher estimates of guilt, it did not lead jurors to give more guilty verdicts. In contrast to previous findings, the presence of a confession did not make it more likely that a juror would render a guilty verdict or give higher estimates of guilt, as no difference was found between the experimental groups and the control group. / Department of Psychological Science
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/188357 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Warner, Todd C. |
| Contributors | Holtgraves, Thomas |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 64 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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