Additional Slides Ch1

Additional Slides: Chapter 1 - An Introduction to Forensic Psychology Learning Objectives ● LO1 - Identify major milestones in the history of forensic psychology ● LO2 - Explain the roles and activities performed by forensic psychologists ● LO3 - Describe the function of expert testimony and how it is assessed LO1: History of Forensic Psychology ● Early research in forensic psychology ● Early court cases in Europe ● Forensic psychology in North America ● Landmark U.S. court cases ● Progress in Canada ● A legitimate field of psychology Early Research in Forensic Psychology ● Cattell (1895) ○ The accuracy of everyday observations ○ Relationship between confidence and accuracy ● Binet (1900) ○ Suggestibility in children ○ Free recall vs. misleading questions ● Stern (1939) ○ The eyewitness ‘reality experiment’ conducted in 1901 ○ Emotional arousal and accuracy Early Court Cases in Europe ● Von Schrenck-Notzing (1896) ○ Expert witness: Impact of pre-trial press ○ “Retroactive memory falsification” (observed vs. heard later) ● Varendonck (1911) ○ Expert witness: Children as eyewitnesses ○ Children provide inaccurate testimony if suggestive questions used Forensic Psychology in North America ● Munsterberg ○ Provided input into police interrogations in several cases ○ Published classic book On the Witness Stand (1908) ○ Argued for the benefits of psychology within the legal system ■ Eyewitness testimony, crime detection, false confessions, suggestibility, hypnotism, crime prevention, etc. ○ Ideas largely rejected and ignored by the legal community ○ Known as “the father of forensic psychology” ● Psychology within criminal justice settings:

○ Clinic for juvenile delinquents (1909) ○ Laboratories for pretrial assessments (1916) ○ Psychological testing for law enforcement selection (1917) Landmark U.S. Court Cases ● State v. Driver (1921) ○ First time expert testimony is provided by a psychologist ○ Partial victory as psychologist’s testimony rejected ○ Use of psychological and medical tests in detecting lies questioned ● Jenkins v. United States (1962) ○ Three psychologists claim defendant suffering from schizophrenia ○ Jury instructed to disregard testimony during trial ○ Reversed on appeal; court rules some psychologists are qualified to give expert testimony on mental disorders ○ Psychologists now regularly contribute to legal proceedings Progress in Canada ● Research on eyewitness testimony and jury decision making ● Leader in the field of corrections: Risk assessment and treatment ● Canadian courts slower to allow testimony from psychologists ○ Rely primarily on medical doctors (psychiatrists) ○ Partially explained by different licensing standards vs. the U.S. A Legitimate Field of Psychology ● Evidence of an established discipline ○ High quality textbooks ○ Academic journals ○ Professional associations ○ Training opportunities ○ Recognized as a specialty discipline by the A P A (2001) LO2: Definition and Roles ● Definitions of forensic psychology ● Roles of forensic psychologists ● Forensic Psychologist as Clinician ● Forensic Psychologist as Researcher ● Forensic Psychologist as Legal Scholar ● Relationships between psychology and law Definitions of Forensic Psychology ● Two primary ways of defining forensic psychology ○ Narrow definition ■ Focus on the clinical aspect of the field (assessment, treatment) ■ Excludes other aspects (e.g., forensic researchers)