False confessions
How can psychology so basic be so counterintuitive
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8713338 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Saul M Kassin (0000-0002-0495-8377, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 951-964 |
| Publication date | 2017-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Psychologist (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-066X • E-ISSN: 1935-990X |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/amp0000195 |
| PMID | 29283646 |
| OpenAlex | W2776394294 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
Recent advances in DNA technology have shined a spotlight on thousands of innocent people wrongfully convicted for crimes they did not commit-many of whom had been induced to confess. The scientific study of false confessions, which helps to explain this phenomenon, has proved highly paradoxical. On the one hand, it is rooted in reliable core principles of psychology (e.g., research on reinforcement and decision-making, obedience to authority, and confirmation biases). On the other hand, false confessions are highly counterintuitive if not inconceivable to most people (e.g., as seen in actual trial outcomes as well as studies of jury decision making). This article describes both the psychology underlying false confessions and the psychology that predicts the counterintuitive nature of this same phenomenon. It then notes that precisely because they are so counterintuitive, false confessions are often "invisible," resulting in a form of inattentional blindness, and are slow to change in the face of contradiction, illustrating belief perseverance. This article concludes by suggesting ways in which psychologists can help to prevent future miscarriages of justice by advocating for reforms to policy and practice and helping to raise public awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record
Commit · Counterintuitive · Economic Justice · Epistemology · Jury · MEDLINE · Obedience · Political science · PsycINFO · Computer Science · Deception detection and forensic psychology · Psychology · Law · Philosophy · Social Psychology
Evaluating confessions in context
Cumulative Disadvantage
Confessing dishonor
An exploratory examination of intellectual disability and mental illness associated with alleged false confessions
Malaysian police officers’ perceptions of interrogations and confessions
Polizeiliche Beschuldigtenvernehmung
Straight Dope on Being Duped
The detection of deception during trials
You’ve got the wrong Shorty!”
The Truth Project
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,43 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 10 |