Psychology Behind False Confessions Essay
Psychology behind false confessions
The key goal for interrogators is to try and convince a rational person that they are indeed guilty and secure a confession. If a suspect perceives their likelihood of conviction is high, psychologists believe this to be a factor in false confessions. It is seen as an act of compliance when an innocent person confesses to a crime when presented with strong false evidence. In addition, when suspects are confronted with false evidence that proves their guilt and presents it as an incontrovertible fact, some suspects will internalize the belief that they actually did commit the crime without awareness (Wynbrandt, 2016). One study found that 90% of the observed interrogations, interrogators presented the suspect with evidence that they were guilty (Janda, 2015). In addition, interrogators are trained to express unwavering confidence that the suspect is guilty and to refuse to listen to any explanations or alibis. This can create a biased opinion of guilt within the interrogator. …show more content…
However, psychology research suggests that once people form a belief, that even if new data is found, they will interpret that new data in ways that will further verify their belief (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). In addition, once this belief is formed, research has shown that people will unwittingly create additional behavioral support for that belief (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). This makes those people beliefs hard to change even when faced with evidence that contradicts their opinion. When this happens, investigators will interpret the new evidence in ways that will incriminate the suspect even though it does not. In the end, it only keeps innocent people detained longer while the real suspect is free and able to commit additional
The key goal for interrogators is to try and convince a rational person that they are indeed guilty and secure a confession. If a suspect perceives their likelihood of conviction is high, psychologists believe this to be a factor in false confessions. It is seen as an act of compliance when an innocent person confesses to a crime when presented with strong false evidence. In addition, when suspects are confronted with false evidence that proves their guilt and presents it as an incontrovertible fact, some suspects will internalize the belief that they actually did commit the crime without awareness (Wynbrandt, 2016). One study found that 90% of the observed interrogations, interrogators presented the suspect with evidence that they were guilty (Janda, 2015). In addition, interrogators are trained to express unwavering confidence that the suspect is guilty and to refuse to listen to any explanations or alibis. This can create a biased opinion of guilt within the interrogator. …show more content…
However, psychology research suggests that once people form a belief, that even if new data is found, they will interpret that new data in ways that will further verify their belief (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). In addition, once this belief is formed, research has shown that people will unwittingly create additional behavioral support for that belief (Kassin & Gudjonsson, 2004). This makes those people beliefs hard to change even when faced with evidence that contradicts their opinion. When this happens, investigators will interpret the new evidence in ways that will incriminate the suspect even though it does not. In the end, it only keeps innocent people detained longer while the real suspect is free and able to commit additional