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2011/2 Provisional Module Catalogue - UNDER CONSTRUCTION & SUBJECT TO CHANGE
 Module Code: PSY3084 Module Title: PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LAW
Module Provider: Psychology Short Name: PSY3084
Level: HE3 Module Co-ordinator: NASH RA Dr (Psychology)
Number of credits: 15 Number of ECTS credits: 7.5
 
Module Availability
Semester 2
Assessment Pattern
1) Group research proposal (1500 words) [25% weighting]
2) Individual evaluation of a research proposal (1000 words) [25 % weighting]
3) One hour exam [50% weighting]

Students must achieve 40% in each component of assessment.
Module Overview
This module looks at a variety of ways in which psychologists have attempted to understand legal processes. Each of the lectures will examine different aspects of the legal process, from when an eyewitness views a crime, to when the police interrogate a suspect, to the jury’s deliberations in court
Prerequisites/Co-requisites
N/A
Module Aims
The module aims to introduce students to some ways in which research from applied cognitive and social psychology can inform and has informed the legal system. As such, the module draws primarily from the applied research literature on memory, but we will also explore issues that are informed by research on decision-making, social cognition, and persuasion. The weekly classes will cover a range of topics within two broad themes: [1] Attempting to understand why errors might occur at various stages of the legal process, and to predict when various types of evidence are more or less likely to be reliable; [2] Developing an appreciation of how legal processes might be conducted in ways there are fairer, more persuasive, and less error-prone. Some of the specific questions that the course will raise and attempt to answer are: How accurate is eyewitness memory? How should the police interview witnesses, victims, and suspects in order to improve the chances of achieving justice? What kinds of evidence are most persuasive in the courts, and is this persuasiveness in any way related to reliability? Can we trust ‘recovered memories’?
Learning Outcomes

Module Content
  1. Wrongful convictions and eyewitness memory
  2. The misinformation effect and source monitoring
  3. Identifying people from lineups
  4. Interviewing suspects and obtaining confessions
  5. Interviewing witnesses and victims
  6. Memory conformity in witnesses // Jury and juror behaviour
  7. Interpreting and evaluating case evidence
  8. Expert evidence
  9. Repression and false autobiographical memories
  10. Case studies
  11. Exam preparation
Methods of Teaching/Learning

Lectures, group/class discussions and classroom exercises. Student participation in, and contribution to ,a collaborative e-portfolio.
Selected Texts/Journals

A list of recommended readings will be provided for each lecture. Students are also expected to read beyond these sources.

Recommended texts:
  • Brewer, N., & Williams, K. D. (2005). Psychology and law: An empirical perspective. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Bull, R., Valentine, T., & Williamson, T. (2009). Handbook of psychology of investigative interviewing: Current developments and future directions. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Feigenson, N., & Spiesel, C. (2009). Law on display: The digital transformation of legal persuasion and judgment. New York: New York University Press.
  • Gudjonsson, G. H. (2003). The psychology of interrogations and confessions. West Sussex, England: Wiley.
  • Loftus, E. F. (1996). Eyewitness Testimony. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  • Loftus, E.F., & Ketcham, K. (1991). Witness for the defense: The accused, the eyewitness and the expert who puts memory on trial. New York: St. Martin's Press.
  • Memon, A., Vrij, A., & Bull, R. (2003). Psychology and law: Truthfulness, accuracy and credibility (2nd edition). Chichester: Wiley.
  • Schwartz, B. L. (2010). Memory: Foundations and applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 
Journals:
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Law & Human Behavior
Legal and Criminological Psychology
Memory
Psychology, Crime & Law
Last Updated
6th May 2011.