PSYCH 565 - Junior Seminar: Psychology of False Confessions

Credits: 4
An examination of the influence of interrogations and false confessions in the criminal justice system. We begin with a discussion on Miranda rights and how the use of psychologically coercive tactics may lead to false confessions. Students will then learn how a false confession from an interrogation cascades and influences forensic analyses, jury decision-making, and perceptions of wrongfully convicted exonerees. This course emphasizes both close reading of peer-reviewed publications for naturalistic and laboratory studies as well as in-class discussion. Each student will develop a research proposal over the course of the semester.

 

Prerequisite: PSYCH 206 , PSYCH 207 , and PSYCH 162  or PSYCH 164 , and permission of instructor

Distribution Requirements: None.