Question 1

Guidelines released by the Department of Justice and based on social psychological research encourage police officers to

Accepted Answer

Using open-ended questions helps to avoid leading the witness and allows them to provide information without being influenced by the officer's suggestions.

Question 2

If a father false confesses to a crime in order to keep his child from going to jail, this is referred to as a

Accepted Answer

A voluntary false confession occurs when an individual willingly confesses to a crime they did not commit, often to protect someone else, as in the case of a father confessing to protect his child.

Question 3

Research on false confessions suggests that

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that people are more likely to make false confessions when the behavior they are accused of seems plausible, as they might feel pressured or believe that confessing is in their best interest.

Question 4

Studies of people's ability to detect lies suggest that

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that people generally struggle to detect lies, often performing at chance levels. Confidence in lie detection does not correlate with actual ability, and even trained professionals typically do not outperform the average person in detecting lies.

Question 5

If you were interrogating a person accused of a crime and you wanted help detecting whether the person was lying about his whereabouts on the night of the crime, who should you get to help you?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you were interrogating a person accused...

Question 6

The control question test is

Accepted Answer

The control question test is a method used in polygraph tests to compare responses to relevant questions with responses to control questions, which are designed to provoke a physiological response.

Question 7

Polygraph tests work by measuring

Accepted Answer

Polygraph tests measure physiological arousal, such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and skin conductivity, to infer whether a person is being deceptive.

Question 8

Research on the accuracy of polygraph tests shows that

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that polygraph tests are more accurate than chance, advocates claim high accuracy rates, and individuals can learn techniques to manipulate the results.

Question 9

According to research, defendants from which group are least likely to be found guilty?

Accepted Answer

Defendants with high socioeconomic status are often able to afford better legal representation and resources, which can influence trial outcomes in their favor, making them less likely to be found guilty compared to other groups.

Question 10

Voir dire refers to

Accepted Answer

Voir dire is the process of questioning potential jurors to assess their suitability and identify any biases or preconceived notions that may affect their impartiality in a trial.

Question 11

Peremptory challenges can be used to eliminate a potential juror on the basis of

Accepted Answer

Peremptory challenges can be used to eliminate a potential juror based on occupation, but not on race or gender, as these are protected classes under the law.

Question 12

Which of the following factors does NOT predict jurors' verdicts?

Accepted Answer

A juror's self-esteem is not typically considered a factor that predicts jurors' verdicts, unlike race, gender, and degree of authoritarianism, which have been studied in relation to their influence on juror decision-making.

Question 13

Imagine that you are defending a man accused of raping a woman and her young daughter. Based on research, which person would you most want on your jury?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that individuals low in authoritarianism are less likely to be influenced by biases and more likely to consider evidence objectively, which could be beneficial in ensuring a fair trial for the accused.

Question 14

Critics of the death qualification process claim that it has the effect of

Accepted Answer

Critics argue that the death qualification process, which excludes jurors opposed to the death penalty, results in a jury more likely to convict, as those who remain may be more prosecution-oriented.

Question 15

Hastie and Pennington proposed the story model to explain

Accepted Answer

The story model proposed by Hastie and Pennington explains how jurors create narratives or stories to make sense of the evidence presented during a trial, influencing their decision-making process.

Question 16

As a juror in an assault trial, Mimi not only listens to the account of the attorneys and witnesses, but also makes inferences about the assailant's motives and the details of the crime scene. This is consistent with

Accepted Answer

The story model suggests that jurors create narratives or stories to make sense of the evidence presented during a trial, which involves making inferences about motives and details.

Question 17

The story model asserts that jurors reach verdicts by

Accepted Answer

The story model suggests that jurors construct narratives or stories to make sense of the evidence presented, actively interpreting and evaluating it to reach a verdict.

Question 18

The process of jury deliberation may make jurors aware that they are being influenced by inadmissible evidence, leading them to

Accepted Answer

Jury deliberation can help jurors recognize and correct biases or influences from inadmissible evidence, leading them to reassess their initial judgments.

Question 19

Research shows that positive character evidence

Accepted Answer

The answer of Research shows that positive character evidence
...

Question 20

Researchers have proposed that inconsistencies in findings regarding the influence of a defendant's race on judgments of guilt can be explained by

Accepted Answer

Aversive racism theory suggests that individuals may hold unconscious biases that affect their judgments, leading to inconsistencies in findings related to race and guilt.

Quiz 15: Social Psychology and the Law