Question 1

Miranda rights are intended to notify the suspect of the following constitutional rights, EXCEPT for the right to:

Accepted Answer

Miranda rights inform a suspect of their rights under the U.S. Constitution, including the right to remain silent, the right to have an attorney present during questioning, and the right to have an attorney provided if they cannot afford one. They do not include the right to remain in custody.

Question 2

According to the text, the most significant individual vulnerability in cases involving false confessions is:

Accepted Answer

Youth is often considered the most significant individual vulnerability in cases involving false confessions due to their developmental immaturity and susceptibility to suggestion and pressure during interrogations.

Question 3

In the case of Colorado v. Connelly (1986), Supreme Court Justice Brennan opined that _____ is the strongest piece of evidence in a trial.

Accepted Answer

In Colorado v. Connelly (1986), Supreme Court Justice Brennan opined that a confession is considered the strongest piece of evidence in a trial, emphasizing the significant impact that confessions have on the outcome of legal proceedings.

Question 4

The fundamental attribution error, or the tendency to attribute other people's behavior to dispositional traits rather than situational pressures, is evident in the following pattern of thinking:

Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error involves attributing someone's behavior to their character or personality, rather than considering external factors. In option D, the robber's stumbling is attributed to his clumsiness (a dispositional trait) rather than the slippery road (a situational pressure), which is a clear example of the fundamental attribution error.

Question 5

According to the textbook, police prefer a confession because:

Accepted Answer

Confessions save time and resources in the investigation and prosecution process, making them a preferred outcome for police.

Question 6

According to research studies described in the text, mock jurors who reported that they disregarded the confession as clearly coerced were _____ likely to convict the defendant.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to research studies described in the...

Question 7

The ruling by a judge that a confession is inadmissible in court because it was coerced is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ruling by a judge that a...

Question 8

Research by Kassin and his colleagues has shown that even when _____ had no problem recognizing that a confession was coerced, they still voted _____ more often.

Accepted Answer

Research by Kassin and colleagues found that jurors, even when recognizing a confession was coerced, were more likely to vote guilty, demonstrating the powerful influence of confessions on jury decisions.

Question 9

What was traditionally called "the third degree" refers to:

Accepted Answer

"The third degree" traditionally refers to interrogation tactics that included direct physical violence to extract confessions or information from suspects.

Question 10

Confessions can be currently ruled inadmissible in the United States for the following reasons, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Lying by the police during interrogations is not automatically a reason for a confession to be ruled inadmissible in the United States. Courts have allowed some degree of deception by law enforcement during interrogations, whereas promises of leniency, the use of physical force or threats, and deprivation of necessities like sleep or food can render a confession inadmissible due to coercion or violation of the suspect's rights.

Question 11

In their studies, Lassiter and colleagues asked people to evaluate a confession from three camera angles: showing the suspect only, interrogator only, and both interrogator and suspect. It was found that:

Accepted Answer

The suspect-only camera angle tends to make the confession appear less coerced because it focuses solely on the suspect, potentially leading evaluators to attribute more voluntariness to the confession.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT an example of an exculpatory scenario?

Accepted Answer

Exculpatory scenarios are designed to suggest a justification or excuse for a crime, making it seem less severe or understandable. Choices A, B, and C offer excuses or justifications (spur of the moment, influenced by others, or for a noble cause), whereas D inquires about past behavior without offering an excuse or justification.

Question 13

The ultimate goal of questioning suspects is to:

Accepted Answer

The ultimate goal of questioning suspects is often to elicit a confession, as this can directly link the suspect to the crime and potentially expedite the legal process.

Question 14

The following are valid reasons for police to prefer confessions to other types of evidence. Which one is NOT valid?

Accepted Answer

Confessions are not always reliable indicators of guilt because individuals may confess to crimes they did not commit due to various reasons such as coercion, misunderstanding, or mental incapacity. Therefore, a confession does not necessarily mean the person is guilty of the crime they confessed to committing.

Question 15

After a long interrogation, an innocent suspect comes to believe he has committed a crime despite having no memory of doing so. His interrogators have told him that he must have either "blacked out" during the commission of the crime or "repressed" his memory because the experience was so traumatic. His subsequent confession would be classified as an:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of an internalized-coerced confession because the suspect has come to believe he committed the crime due to the pressure and suggestions from the interrogators, despite having no memory of the event.

Question 16

Chapter 2 presents several potential solutions to the problem of false confessions. Which of the following is NOT one of these solutions?

Accepted Answer

Retraining all police personnel on interrogation procedures is not mentioned as a solution to the problem of false confessions in the context provided. Solutions typically focus on measures that directly impact the interrogation process itself, such as video recording, setting time limits, and including expert testimony to provide context on the reliability of confessions.

Question 17

According to the text, research on jurors' perceptions of confessions shows that:

Accepted Answer

Research on jurors' perceptions of confessions has consistently shown that it is very difficult for jurors to discount a confession, even when they are explicitly told that the confession is false. This phenomenon is often attributed to the powerful influence that a confession has on shaping jurors' perceptions of the defendant's guilt, regardless of the confession's truthfulness.

Question 18

If a suspect falsely claims to have committed the crime to cover up an affair, she would be making an:

Accepted Answer

An instrumental-voluntary confession occurs when an individual confesses to a crime they did not commit for a reason unrelated to police coercion, such as covering up another behavior or protecting someone else. In this scenario, the suspect's motive to hide an affair by falsely confessing fits this category.

Question 19

Studies show that when jurors clearly understand that the confession was coerced, they:

Accepted Answer

Studies indicate that even when jurors are aware that a confession was coerced, they are still more likely to convict the defendant. This is because the existence of a confession, regardless of its circumstances, can heavily influence jurors' perceptions of guilt.

Question 20

The MAIN goal of applying the Reid technique during interrogations is to:

Accepted Answer

The primary objective of the Reid technique is to elicit a full confession from the suspect during an interrogation.

Quiz 2: Presents Several Potential Solutions to the Problem of False Confessions Which of the Following Is Not One of These Solutions