Applications of Social Psychology

Question 1

What are examples of verbal and non-verbal cues in confessions?

Answer 1

• eye contact
• pauses
• posture
• fidgeting
  These cues can indicate a person’s truthfulness or stress level during questioning.

Question 2

What does a polygraph measure?

Answer 2

• breathing
• heart rate
• sweat
  The polygraph records physiological arousal in response to crime-related and control questions.

Question 3

How do innocent and guilty individuals typically respond to polygraph tests?

Answer 3

Innocent people are more aroused by control questions; guilty people are more aroused by crime-related questions.

Question 4

What was a significant finding in the field study regarding polygraph accuracy?

Answer 4

The study found 100% accuracy, but this was due to reliance on confessions for determining guilt.

If the test failed, the same person interrogated the suspect, influencing the outcome.

Question 5

What are the two main reasons for false confessions?

Answer 5

• Compliance: escaping a stressful situation, focus on immediate reward
  *Internalisation: believing they are guilty, strong social influence

These factors can lead individuals to confess to crimes they did not commit.

Question 6

What is a characteristic of most line-up members in eyewitness identification?

Answer 6

Most line-up members are fillers, known innocents.Each line-up includes a suspect, but not all suspects are guilty.

Question 7

What is the effect of defendant attractiveness on jury decision-making?

Answer 7

Physically attractive defendants are treated differently; unattractive defendants are convicted more by experiential thinkers. Attractive defendants may receive harsher punishments in certain cases, such as negligent homicide.

Question 8

How does race influence jury verdicts?

Answer 8

Defendant race did not influence the initial verdict, but once convicted, black convicts received harsher punishments for negligent homicide.White convicts faced harsher punishments for fraud and embezzlement.

Question 9

How does socioeconomic status (SES) affect jury outcomes?

Answer 9

Low SES individuals received more guilty verdicts and harsher punishments.There is conflicting evidence, potentially due to interactions between juror and defendant characteristics.

Question 9

What is anticipatory injustice?

Answer 9

It refers to the expectation of unfair treatment among African American and Latino participants. This can influence their perceptions of the judicial process.

Question 10

True or False: Laypeople believe same-race cases to be less plausible.

Answer 10

False
They tend to find same-race cases more plausible and perceive them as more guilty.