Question 1

Which of the following is a factor in the overrepresentation of minority communities in the criminal justice system?

Accepted Answer

Police officers' discretionary power can lead to biases in whom they decide to pull over and search, contributing to the overrepresentation of minority communities in the criminal justice system.

Question 2

Alan is on the jury for a theft-related crime.After hearing the evidence,Alan feels anger toward the defendant and a general sense of outrage.What types of attributions has Alan likely made about the defendant?

Accepted Answer

Alan's anger and sense of outrage suggest that he perceives the defendant as intentionally committing the crime and that this behavior is a stable part of the defendant's character. Option D reflects this perception.

Question 3

Eyewitness errors have been found to be involved in more than ________ percent of cases of wrongful convictions.

Accepted Answer

Eyewitness errors have been found to be involved in more than 50 percent of cases of wrongful convictions, highlighting the unreliability of eyewitness testimony in the criminal justice system.

Question 4

Vanessa is part of a jury that has to make a unanimous decision to convict the defendant.Yemaya is part of a jury that can convict the defendant with a two-thirds majority rule.What is likely to differ across Vanessa's and Yemaya's juries?

Accepted Answer

Juries that require a unanimous decision, like Vanessa's, often take longer to reach a verdict because all members must agree. In contrast, Yemaya's jury, which can convict with a two-thirds majority, is likely to arrive at its verdict faster since it doesn't need full agreement.

Question 5

We should be careful about trusting eyewitness accounts,because memory is

Accepted Answer

Memory is an active, constructive process that can be influenced by various factors like environment, emotions, expectations, and post-event information. Therefore, eyewitness accounts may not always be reliable as memory can be altered or reconstructed.

Question 6

Loftus and Pickrell (1995)persuaded the family members of college students to tell stories about when their student relative was 5 years old,including one "story" that was actually fake and never really happened.How did the students respond?

Accepted Answer

Loftus and Pickrell found that about 25% of the students "recalled" the fake event. This suggests that even a relatively minor manipulation of memory can lead people to remember things that never actually happened.

Question 7

African-Americans and Latinos are more likely to be stopped by police officers and receive harsher sentences.This bias in the criminal justice system is largely due to the

Accepted Answer

The bias in the criminal justice system towards African-Americans and Latinos is mainly due to the use of cultural stereotypes. These stereotypes, which associate certain ethnic groups with criminal activity, result in discriminatory policing and sentencing practices that disproportionately affect people of color. These biases can be unconscious or conscious and contribute to the racial disparities evident in the criminal justice system.

Question 8

The goal of the ________ motive is to punish the deed that was committed; the goal of the ________ motive is to prevent future crimes.

Accepted Answer

The just desserts motive focuses on punishing the crime that was committed, based on the principle of retribution, while the deterrence motive aims to prevent future crimes by discouraging offenders and others from committing similar acts.

Question 9

All of the following are true of death-qualified jurors EXCEPT that they are more

Accepted Answer

Death-qualified jurors are actually more trusting of police, as they are seen as instrumental in bringing justice to the victim and their family. Therefore, option D is the incorrect statement.

Question 10

Research has shown that merely hearing the questions typically asked in the death-qualification part of jury selection tends to bias potential jurors toward conviction,because

Accepted Answer

The death-qualification questions contain an implication of guilt, leading potential jurors to think of the suspects as guilty. This bias can influence their decision-making throughout the trial.

Question 11

Social scientists have differentiated two motives that determine preferences for different kinds of punishment.These motives are

Accepted Answer

According to social scientists, people's preferences for different types of punishment are determined by two motives: just desserts and deterrence. Just desserts suggests that punishment should match the severity of the crime committed, so individuals who violate the law should receive a punishment that is proportional to the harm they inflicted. Deterrence, on the other hand, focuses on preventing future crimes by using punishment as a way to discourage others from engaging in similar behavior. Therefore, people who value just desserts may prefer harsher punishments for severe crimes, while individuals who value deterrence may prefer punishments that are more severe overall to serve as a deterrent to others.

Question 12

Based on your reading,who is likely to receive the harshest sentence for drug possession?

Accepted Answer

African Americans are more likely to receive harsher penalties for drug possession than other races, even when the offense and criminal history are the same.

Question 13

The textbook describes research conducted by Loftus and colleagues (1968)in which participants were shown pictures of an automobile accident and were asked questions about the pictures.Some participants were asked questions that were consistent with what they actually saw,whereas other participants were asked misleading questions.Which of the following best describes the results of this research?

Accepted Answer

The research found that participants who were asked misleading questions were more likely to recall the pictures incorrectly, indicating that the misleading questions impaired their abilities to recall the pictures correctly. Option A is incorrect because not all participants correctly remembered the pictures. Option B is incorrect because the research found that the type of question asked influenced participants' ability to recall the pictures. Option D is incorrect because the research did not investigate age differences in memory recall.

Question 14

Travis is part of a 6-person jury on a money-laundering case.Although the majority of jury members believe that the defendant is guilty,Travis believes that she did not do it.He tries to convince the others of his perspective.Why might Travis be more successful in making his case if he was part of a typical 12-person jury,rather than this 6-person jury?

Accepted Answer

With a larger jury, there is a greater likelihood that at least one other member shares Travis's perspective and can help him make his case. It also means that there are more people to consider and deliberate with during discussions, increasing the likelihood that all perspectives will be heard and considered. However, it's important to note that the size of a jury does not necessarily affect the amount of evidence available or the length of deliberation time.

Question 15

Which of the following is true concerning eyewitness testimony?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is true concerning...

Question 16

Research conducted by Hastie and colleagues (1983)tested whether juries deliberated cases differently based on whether they had to reach a unanimous decision or a majority decision.What did this research show?

Accepted Answer

The research conducted by Hastie and colleagues (1983) showed that juries who had to reach a unanimous decision deliberated longer than those who had to reach only a majority decision.

Question 17

Tina is a defense attorney working on a grand larceny (i.e.,stealing a large amount of money)case.Given what you know about jury selection concerns,whom does Tina NOT want to be placed on the jury?

Accepted Answer

Lyn, the wealthy executive would likely have a bias against the defendant due to their socioeconomic status and the fact that the case involves grand larceny, which likely involves a large sum of money. This bias could negatively impact the defendant's case, making Lyn an undesirable juror for Tina.

Question 18

Daniel is a district judge driven by the deterrence motive.What type of punishment is Daniel likely to favor in sentencing a defendant for a drug-related crime?

Accepted Answer

Deterrence motive in sentencing aims to prevent the defendant from committing the crime again, which aligns with placing the defendant in a rehabilitation program.

Question 19

Sheila,an attorney,worries that she will be unable to pick good jurors.Instead,she hires a specialist to conduct surveys and compile statistics on what demographic qualities of jurors might predict support for her client.Sheila is using ________ to pick her jury.

Accepted Answer

Sheila is using scientific jury selection, which involves using surveys and statistics to predict juror behavior and attitudes. This technique is often used by attorneys to select a jury that is more likely to be sympathetic to their client's case.

Question 20

In cases in which defendants are convicted and later proved innocent by DNA tests,as many as ________ had falsely confessed to the crime.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In cases in which defendants are convicted...

Quiz 17: Application Module 3 :social Psychology and the Law