Christian A Meissner
Biographic Data
| ID | 2312945 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Christian A Meissner |
| GIVEN NAMES | Christian A |
| FAMILY NAME | Meissner |
| SIGNATURE | MEISSNER C A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Iowa State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6094-5167 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 126 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2001 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Emphasizing Miranda's Importance Promotes Procedurally Just Decisions
Miranda waiver decisions must be voluntarily rendered. We conducted the first known analysis comparing the voluntariness of waiver decisions made in response to a novel noncoercive Miranda administration tactic relative to a customary coercive tactic. Specifically, we compared perceptions of procedural justice and willingness to cooperate that each tactic elicited. In an online paradigm, mock suspects were accused of a hit‐and‐run. Across three e…
The Miranda waiver literature: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Police-induced confessions, 2.0: Risk factors and recommendations
Wrongful conviction databases have shed light on the fact that innocent people can be induced to confess to crimes they did not commit. Drawing on police practices, core principles of psychology, and forensic studies involving multiple methodologies, this article updates the original Scientific Review Paper (Kassin et al., 2010) on the causes, consequences, and remedies for police-induced false confessions. First, we describe the situational and …
Does engaging in reason elaboration mitigate bias in mock jurors’ evaluations of confession evidence
OBJECTIVE: Prior research suggests that jurors may commit the fundamental attribution error when evaluating confession evidence (i.e., failing to recognize the situational pressures inherent to coercive interrogations) and exhibit belief perseverance when presented with expert testimony or judicial instructions seeking to remediate juror knowledge. Given mixed findings regarding the use of safeguards that might assist jurors in rendering appropri…
The effect of confession evidence on jurors’ verdict decisions: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: Over the past 4 decades, discrepant research findings have emerged in the juror-confession literature, prompting the need for a systematic review and meta-analysis that assesses the effect of confession evidence (coerced or noncoerced) on conviction rates and the efficacy of trial safeguards. HYPOTHESES: We did not predict any directional hypotheses. Some studies show increased convictions when a confession is present (vs. not), regard…
Building Trust to Enhance Elicitation
Drawing on the scientific literature on trust and the experiences of distinguished interviewers, two primary trust-building tactics with potential application in investigative and intelligence interviewing were identified and assessed for their efficacy in this context.Trust-building tactics that demonstrate trustworthiness and demonstrate a willingness to trust portray the interviewer as reliable and dependable (i.e., perceptions of cognitive tr…
Evaluating the effectiveness of a 5-day training on science-basedmethods of interrogation with U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcementinvestigators
As accusatorial approaches to interrogation in the United States have increasingly come under scrutiny, interest in science-based methods of interviewing and interrogation has risen. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of a 5-day science-based interrogation course delivered by the High- Value Detainee Interrogation Group to U.S. federal, local, and state law enforcement investigators. Core aspects of the training incl…
Perceptions of Movement Patterns and Concealment Detection in Naive Observers and Law Enforcement Officers: A Lens Model Analysis
This research investigates whether police officers can reliably use behavioral cues to determine whether a person is concealing an object. Using a Lens Model framework, we performed a mega-analysis of three experiments. In each study, officers and laypersons judged whether people were concealing an object and reported “articulable behaviors” they used to perform this task. Although participants were able to articulate behaviors that they believed…
Matthew or compensatory effects? Factors that influence the math literacy of primary-school children in Germany
Background and aimsThis study focuses on individual differences in the math competencies of primary-school children in Germany. It considers whether or not there are Matthew or compensatory effects in math literacy and which factors and background characteristics of primary-school children can affect competence development. Despite the abundant research on this topic, the findings are often ambiguous, and studies in the German context are sparse.…
Evaluating the benefits of a rapport-based approach to investigative interviews: A training study with law enforcement investigators
We demonstrated that rapport-based interview tactics could be successfully trained and that using such tactics can facilitate perceptions of rapport and trust, reduce individuals' resistance to cooperate, and increase information yield. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Active exploration of faces in police lineups increases discrimination accuracy
Eyewitness identifications play a key role in the justice system, but eyewitnesses can make errors, often with profound consequences. We used findings from basic science and innovative technologies to develop and test whether a novel interactive lineup procedure, wherein witnesses can rotate and dynamically view the lineup faces from different angles, improves witness discrimination accuracy compared with a widely used procedure in laboratories a…
Using disclosure, common ground, and verification to build rapport and elicit information
Policy and procedure recommendations for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence
OBJECTIVE: The Executive Committee of the American Psychology-Law Society (Division 41 of the American Psychological Association) appointed a subcommittee to update the influential 1998 scientific review paper on guidelines for eyewitness identification procedures. METHOD: This was a collaborative effort by six senior eyewitness researchers, who all participated in the writing process. Feedback from members of AP-LS and the legal communities was …
Challenges of a “toolbox” approach to investigative interviewing: A critical analysis of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) Phased Interview Model
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police implemented the Phased Interview Model in Canada and has argued that it is a novel and productive way to interview suspects.We applaud the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for moving away from a purely accusatorial approach and recognize that Phased Interview Model contains several science-based practices.In this article, however, we evaluate the Phased Interview Model critically.In particular, we present compelling…
Enhancing cooperation and disclosure by manipulating affiliation and developing rapport in investigative interviews
Retrieval potentiates new learning: A theoretical and meta-analytic review
A growing body of research has shown that retrieval can enhance future learning of new materials. In the present report, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature on this finding, which we term test-potentiated new learning. Our primary objectives were to (a) produce an integrative review of the existing theoretical explanations, (b) summarize the extant empirical data with a meta-analysis, (c) evaluate the existing accounts with the me…
A survey of potential jurors’ perceptions of interrogations and confessions
Author(s): Mindthoff, Amelia; Evans, Jacqueline R; Perez, Gissel; Woestehoff, Skye A; Olaguez, Alma P; Klemfuss, J Zoe; Normile, Christopher J; Scherr, Kyle C; Carlucci, Marianna E; Carol, Rolando N; Meissner, Christian A; Michael, Stephen W; Russano, Melissa B; Stocks, Eric L; Vallano, Jonathan P; Woody, William Douglas
Developing an evidence-based perspective on interrogation: A review of the U.S. government’s high-value detainee interrogation group research program
Interrogation practices in the United States have been roundly criticized both for their accusatorial ethos, at times leading to false confessions by the innocent, and for a history of applying physical and psychological coercion in law enforcement, military, and intelligence contexts. Despite decades of psychological research demonstrating the failures of such approaches and despite recent positive advances in countries such as the United Kingdo…
Improving the Effectiveness of Suspect Interrogations
The past two decades of research on interrogation were spurred, in large part, by the specter of false confessions and the resulting miscarriages of justice. More recently, interest in the topic has been fueled by the need to develop evidence-based methods that improve the collection of diagnostic confession evidence and accurate intelligence from human sources. In this review, we update the research on false confessions and describe recent asses…
The Cognitive Interview: A meta-analytic review and study space analysis of the past 25 years
The Cognitive Interview (CI) is a well-established protocol for interviewing wit- nesses. The current article presents a study space analysis of laboratory studies of the CI together with an empirical meta-analysis summarizing the past 25 years of research. The study space comprises 57 published articles (65 experiments) on the CI, providing an assessment of the boundary conditions underlying the analysis and application of this interview protoco…
Can intuition improve deception detection performance
Racial Bias in Mock Juror Decision-Making: A Meta-Analytic Review of Defendant Treatment.
Common wisdom seems to suggest that racial bias, defined as disparate treatment of minority defendants, exists in jury decision-making, with Black defendants being treated more harshly by jurors than White defendants. The empirical research, however, is inconsistent--some studies show racial bias while others do not. Two previous meta-analyses have found conflicting results regarding the existence of racial bias in juror decision-making (Mazzella…
Thirty years of investigating the own-race bias in memory for faces: A meta-analytic review
The current article reviews the own-race bias (ORB) phenomenon in memory for human faces, the finding that own-race faces are better remembered when compared with memory for faces of another, less familiar race. Data were analyzed from 39 research articles, involving 91 independent samples and nearly 5,000 participants. Measures of hit and false alarm rates, and aggregate measures of discrimination accuracy and response criterion were examined, i…
Thirty years of investigating the own-race bias in memory for faces: A meta-analytic review
The current article reviews the own-race bias (ORB) phenomenon in memory for human faces, the finding that own-race faces are better remembered when compared with memory for faces of another, less familiar race. Data were analyzed from 39 research articles, involving 91 independent samples and nearly 5,000 participants. Measures of hit and false alarm rates, and aggregate measures of discrimination accuracy and response criterion were examined, i…
Can intuition improve deception detection performance
Evaluating the effectiveness of a 5-day training on science-basedmethods of interrogation with U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcementinvestigators
As accusatorial approaches to interrogation in the United States have increasingly come under scrutiny, interest in science-based methods of interviewing and interrogation has risen. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of a 5-day science-based interrogation course delivered by the High- Value Detainee Interrogation Group to U.S. federal, local, and state law enforcement investigators. Core aspects of the training incl…
Using disclosure, common ground, and verification to build rapport and elicit information
Enhancing cooperation and disclosure by manipulating affiliation and developing rapport in investigative interviews
Improving the Effectiveness of Suspect Interrogations
The past two decades of research on interrogation were spurred, in large part, by the specter of false confessions and the resulting miscarriages of justice. More recently, interest in the topic has been fueled by the need to develop evidence-based methods that improve the collection of diagnostic confession evidence and accurate intelligence from human sources. In this review, we update the research on false confessions and describe recent asses…
Challenges of a “toolbox” approach to investigative interviewing: A critical analysis of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) Phased Interview Model
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police implemented the Phased Interview Model in Canada and has argued that it is a novel and productive way to interview suspects.We applaud the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for moving away from a purely accusatorial approach and recognize that Phased Interview Model contains several science-based practices.In this article, however, we evaluate the Phased Interview Model critically.In particular, we present compelling…
Thirty years of investigating the own-race bias in memory for faces: A meta-analytic review
The current article reviews the own-race bias (ORB) phenomenon in memory for human faces, the finding that own-race faces are better remembered when compared with memory for faces of another, less familiar race. Data were analyzed from 39 research articles, involving 91 independent samples and nearly 5,000 participants. Measures of hit and false alarm rates, and aggregate measures of discrimination accuracy and response criterion were examined, i…
Racial Bias in Mock Juror Decision-Making: A Meta-Analytic Review of Defendant Treatment.
Common wisdom seems to suggest that racial bias, defined as disparate treatment of minority defendants, exists in jury decision-making, with Black defendants being treated more harshly by jurors than White defendants. The empirical research, however, is inconsistent--some studies show racial bias while others do not. Two previous meta-analyses have found conflicting results regarding the existence of racial bias in juror decision-making (Mazzella…
Can intuition improve deception detection performance
The Cognitive Interview: A meta-analytic review and study space analysis of the past 25 years
The Cognitive Interview (CI) is a well-established protocol for interviewing wit- nesses. The current article presents a study space analysis of laboratory studies of the CI together with an empirical meta-analysis summarizing the past 25 years of research. The study space comprises 57 published articles (65 experiments) on the CI, providing an assessment of the boundary conditions underlying the analysis and application of this interview protoco…
Improving the Effectiveness of Suspect Interrogations
The past two decades of research on interrogation were spurred, in large part, by the specter of false confessions and the resulting miscarriages of justice. More recently, interest in the topic has been fueled by the need to develop evidence-based methods that improve the collection of diagnostic confession evidence and accurate intelligence from human sources. In this review, we update the research on false confessions and describe recent asses…
Developing an evidence-based perspective on interrogation: A review of the U.S. government’s high-value detainee interrogation group research program
Interrogation practices in the United States have been roundly criticized both for their accusatorial ethos, at times leading to false confessions by the innocent, and for a history of applying physical and psychological coercion in law enforcement, military, and intelligence contexts. Despite decades of psychological research demonstrating the failures of such approaches and despite recent positive advances in countries such as the United Kingdo…
Retrieval potentiates new learning: A theoretical and meta-analytic review
A growing body of research has shown that retrieval can enhance future learning of new materials. In the present report, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature on this finding, which we term test-potentiated new learning. Our primary objectives were to (a) produce an integrative review of the existing theoretical explanations, (b) summarize the extant empirical data with a meta-analysis, (c) evaluate the existing accounts with the me…
A survey of potential jurors’ perceptions of interrogations and confessions
Author(s): Mindthoff, Amelia; Evans, Jacqueline R; Perez, Gissel; Woestehoff, Skye A; Olaguez, Alma P; Klemfuss, J Zoe; Normile, Christopher J; Scherr, Kyle C; Carlucci, Marianna E; Carol, Rolando N; Meissner, Christian A; Michael, Stephen W; Russano, Melissa B; Stocks, Eric L; Vallano, Jonathan P; Woody, William Douglas
Enhancing cooperation and disclosure by manipulating affiliation and developing rapport in investigative interviews
Policy and procedure recommendations for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence
OBJECTIVE: The Executive Committee of the American Psychology-Law Society (Division 41 of the American Psychological Association) appointed a subcommittee to update the influential 1998 scientific review paper on guidelines for eyewitness identification procedures. METHOD: This was a collaborative effort by six senior eyewitness researchers, who all participated in the writing process. Feedback from members of AP-LS and the legal communities was …
Challenges of a “toolbox” approach to investigative interviewing: A critical analysis of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) Phased Interview Model
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police implemented the Phased Interview Model in Canada and has argued that it is a novel and productive way to interview suspects.We applaud the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for moving away from a purely accusatorial approach and recognize that Phased Interview Model contains several science-based practices.In this article, however, we evaluate the Phased Interview Model critically.In particular, we present compelling…
Evaluating the benefits of a rapport-based approach to investigative interviews: A training study with law enforcement investigators
We demonstrated that rapport-based interview tactics could be successfully trained and that using such tactics can facilitate perceptions of rapport and trust, reduce individuals' resistance to cooperate, and increase information yield. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Active exploration of faces in police lineups increases discrimination accuracy
Eyewitness identifications play a key role in the justice system, but eyewitnesses can make errors, often with profound consequences. We used findings from basic science and innovative technologies to develop and test whether a novel interactive lineup procedure, wherein witnesses can rotate and dynamically view the lineup faces from different angles, improves witness discrimination accuracy compared with a widely used procedure in laboratories a…
Using disclosure, common ground, and verification to build rapport and elicit information
Matthew or compensatory effects? Factors that influence the math literacy of primary-school children in Germany
Background and aimsThis study focuses on individual differences in the math competencies of primary-school children in Germany. It considers whether or not there are Matthew or compensatory effects in math literacy and which factors and background characteristics of primary-school children can affect competence development. Despite the abundant research on this topic, the findings are often ambiguous, and studies in the German context are sparse.…
Perceptions of Movement Patterns and Concealment Detection in Naive Observers and Law Enforcement Officers: A Lens Model Analysis
This research investigates whether police officers can reliably use behavioral cues to determine whether a person is concealing an object. Using a Lens Model framework, we performed a mega-analysis of three experiments. In each study, officers and laypersons judged whether people were concealing an object and reported “articulable behaviors” they used to perform this task. Although participants were able to articulate behaviors that they believed…
Does engaging in reason elaboration mitigate bias in mock jurors’ evaluations of confession evidence
OBJECTIVE: Prior research suggests that jurors may commit the fundamental attribution error when evaluating confession evidence (i.e., failing to recognize the situational pressures inherent to coercive interrogations) and exhibit belief perseverance when presented with expert testimony or judicial instructions seeking to remediate juror knowledge. Given mixed findings regarding the use of safeguards that might assist jurors in rendering appropri…
The effect of confession evidence on jurors’ verdict decisions: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: Over the past 4 decades, discrepant research findings have emerged in the juror-confession literature, prompting the need for a systematic review and meta-analysis that assesses the effect of confession evidence (coerced or noncoerced) on conviction rates and the efficacy of trial safeguards. HYPOTHESES: We did not predict any directional hypotheses. Some studies show increased convictions when a confession is present (vs. not), regard…
Building Trust to Enhance Elicitation
Drawing on the scientific literature on trust and the experiences of distinguished interviewers, two primary trust-building tactics with potential application in investigative and intelligence interviewing were identified and assessed for their efficacy in this context.Trust-building tactics that demonstrate trustworthiness and demonstrate a willingness to trust portray the interviewer as reliable and dependable (i.e., perceptions of cognitive tr…
Evaluating the effectiveness of a 5-day training on science-basedmethods of interrogation with U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcementinvestigators
As accusatorial approaches to interrogation in the United States have increasingly come under scrutiny, interest in science-based methods of interviewing and interrogation has risen. The purpose of the current study was to assess the effectiveness of a 5-day science-based interrogation course delivered by the High- Value Detainee Interrogation Group to U.S. federal, local, and state law enforcement investigators. Core aspects of the training incl…
Police-induced confessions, 2.0: Risk factors and recommendations
Wrongful conviction databases have shed light on the fact that innocent people can be induced to confess to crimes they did not commit. Drawing on police practices, core principles of psychology, and forensic studies involving multiple methodologies, this article updates the original Scientific Review Paper (Kassin et al., 2010) on the causes, consequences, and remedies for police-induced false confessions. First, we describe the situational and …
Emphasizing Miranda's Importance Promotes Procedurally Just Decisions
Miranda waiver decisions must be voluntarily rendered. We conducted the first known analysis comparing the voluntariness of waiver decisions made in response to a novel noncoercive Miranda administration tactic relative to a customary coercive tactic. Specifically, we compared perceptions of procedural justice and willingness to cooperate that each tactic elicited. In an online paradigm, mock suspects were accused of a hit‐and‐run. Across three e…
The Miranda waiver literature: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Psychology (22 works) · Deception detection and forensic psychology (17 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Computer Science (10 works) · Political science (10 works) · Law (9 works) · Memory Processes and Influences (8 works) · Legal psychology (6 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Meta-analysis (6 works)