Dr. Liana Peter-Hagene founded the Social Psychology and Law Lab at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. On the other hand, the criminal justice system is the branch of the law that deals with controlling criminal activities in society through imposing penalties on the offenders of the specific laws. Whereas social psychology concentrates mainly on the individual and how he/she would react and deal with a situation in the society. Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. Click here for Dr. Peter-Hagene's full CV. ausing jurors to overestimate the accuracy of witness memories as well” (Loftus, O’Toole and Easterly).Another reason that eyewitness testimonies are not so precise is due to the fact that what people “recall and report to others can be inaccurate and incomplete…. Application of Social Psychology to the Legal System Social Psychology refers to the branch of psychology that deals with analyzing the human behaviors based on the interactions with others in society as well as the social contexts of the conduct. Conversely, the practice of social psychology is relatively more applicable to Psychology than to any legal processes and decision making. In all actuality, it has something to do with it but the reason is far more complex than that.Laws are obeyed because people feel that it is legitimate (Loud). Traditionally, these challenges have focused on a fairly narrow range of legal processes involving … Although research on the effects of different retention intervals on the recall of word lists does not appear to address issues in psychology and the law, such research contributes to the general body of knowledge related to memory. Thus, social psychologists can help prevent this and other unfortunate circumstance from perpetually occurring. Social psychology aims to study social relationships (Moscovici and Markova, 2006). PSYCH 218-Developmental Psychology and other courses focusing on children are particularly relevant for those with an interest in juvenile and family law. exposure to ‘post event’ information such as conversations with other witnesses or media reports… witness’ eyesight and concentration, the amount of lighting, the length of exposure, the quality of the view, whether a weapon or violence was involved, and the procedures used by police to obtain the identification” are other causes as to why eyewitness testimonies are not so reliable (Loftus, O’Toole and Easterly).Also, juries do not usually consider situational variables as factors even though they should. Forthcoming in Francesco Parisi (Ed.). Legitimacy means that people believe “that an authority is entitled to be obeyed” (Tyler). Test bank Questions and Answers of Chapter 18: Application Module- Social Psychology and the Law Social PSychology of law and the courtroom 5 Different Philosophies: Advocacy Versus Objectivity Law generally determines what is right by virtue of precedent, or prior authority; psychology determines what is right by virtue of empirical observations. Legal psychology deals with cognitive and social principles and their usage in the legal system. . …The ascendant view in psychology is now ‘interactionism,’ and holds unsurprisingly that both personality and situation play important roles in causing human behaviour. Law can only react to and process ongoing events; psychology gets to choose what it studies. Get access to this section to get all the help you need with your essay and educational goals. Social psychology also deals with many of the same phenomena but seeks to explain how individual human interaction and human cognition influence 'culture' and, in turn, are influenced by culture. Although, according to Dripps (2003) …. For instance, legal professionals think that people follow laws because they are afraid of punishment. It also illustrates that human memory is “comple[x], selectivit[ive] and malleab[le]” (Loftus, O’Toole and Easterly). In addition, psychologists can educate legal professionals as to why people obey the law; namely the law’s legitimacy in relation to the people who enforce it and its creation by a group of people.The law’s functionality also shows its benefit to the society and its accordance to people’s moral beliefs has to come into play as well. They can help “reform eyewitness identification procedures…. interviewing suspects, to defense attorneys in demonstrating how a person can come to be wrongfully accused of a crime, to lawyers in selecting possible jurors for a trial, and to foren- Moreover, social psychologists can help figure out if the testimony rendered by an eyewitness is accurate. [s]ocial and cognitive psychology teaches us to distrust that judgment… both personality and situation influence behaviour. Problems can arise at. Furthermore, suggestive statements made by an officer may make an eyewitness say information in relation to it because the eyewitness may want to comply “with what they believe the interviewer wants to hear” (Sycamnias).This idea of suggestibility is especially influential to very young eyewitnesses because they do not know “how to identify a leading question; the effect of leading questions; the effect of interviewer bias…, ” (McMurtrie). Social Aspects of the Trial Process; Jury Psychology: Volume 2. Also, people see the legitimacy of a law when it is functional.Functional in this sense means that “good will come out of the law that will benefit society. For example, people think that murder is wrong because people value human life and the act itself violates how a person should treat another (Tyler).Therefore, “disobedience is permissible only when there is no independent moral reason to obey or when the weight of independent reasons favours disobedience” (Patterson). Inferences can also affect the perceived notion of an eyewitness. It is based on empirical and psychological research of law along with legal institutions. Social Psychology and the Law 125. Think back to the times when keys were misplaced, doors were left unlocked even though we were certain that we have locked them.These instances show that our memories can sometimes fool us into thinking that something is the absolute truth because we end up believing what we would like to. Although law and psychology are two separate fields, they are united by their interest in human behavior. On the other hand, juries view eyewitness accounts as favourable in a sense that they tend to think that the information they provide is solid and accurate. In order for social psychology to be useful in the legal field, it has to focus on legal matters. Social Psychology; Research Methods in Psychology; Psychological Measurement; Psychological Assessments; Evolutionary Psychology; Back to Main Website; Previous Next. While, there may be others who do not take their role as a juror seriously. That is, how the people around us impact our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Therefore, psychology in essence can actually “provide scientific information that would not ordinarily be available to the law” (Loh).In general, lawyers have always felt that their rigorous education and training has sufficiently equipped them with the appropriate skills to determine matters for themselves. Eyewitness Testimony. Lawyers only seek the professional expertise of psychologists if their testimony is part of the evidence that they will present to the court.Psychologists who are asked for their opinion in court usually deal with cases that involve an insanity plea. 16, 1997 32 Pages Posted: 10 Jun 2008 Many of the law’s assumptions about human behavior have been challenged by findings in psychological science broadly, including social psychology specifically. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy. Their expertise can shed light on certain human behaviours that legal professionals are unaware of. For this reason, social psychologists should educate jurors about the function and benefit of what they are assigned to do. With this in mind, the scientific community specifically the field of psychology can assist in reforming the legal system. This is why people continue to obey police and courts, even though there had been instances wherein they acted contrary to what the public expected them to. This is why the legal system had not seriously considered and incorporated psychological tests and studies. Academics and research– Legal psychologists basically conduct empirical research on new legal topics, which are yet to be popularised… We know that sometimes it's hard to find inspiration, so we provide you with hundreds of related samples. Social psychologists study how group dynamics can influence our choices and interactions and sometimes cause issues such as prejudices, bullying, criminal activity, and substance abuse. The social psychology is a way to analyze the behavior of human beings, and to identify the key aspects of this mode of analysis are necessary to examine, with a presentista orientation, complex and problematic historical process that leads to it. It will also lead to an improvement in the current legal system. Social psychologists are interested in all aspects of interpersonal relationships and the ways that psychology can improve those interactions. When this happens, the jury can reach error-free decisions all the time. As a student in our program, you may choose research … In this definition, scientific refers to empirical investigation using the scientific method, while the terms thoughts, feelings, and behaviors refer to the psychological variables that can be measured in humans. This has been why “courts have not rushed to embrace expert psychological testimony… ” (Loh). (Social Psychology and the Law).Therefore, the majority’s opinion can cause anxiety or doubt to those select few who vote against the majority. Of course, all individuals within reach of the United States legal system are involved to some degree. Almost everyone is aware and will agree that human memory is not a hundred percent dependable. Legal psychologists typically take basic social and cognitive principles and apply them to issues in the legal system such as eyewitness memory, jury decision-making, investigations, and interviewing. Law & Social Psychology. In the end, accurate eyewitness testimonies will greatly improve our present legal system and make people trust in the court’s decision with absolute confidence. [plus] overhead co-witness information or investigator comments and questions are known to alter witness’ original memories of an event” (MacLin, K. M. , Zimmerman, Meissner, MacLin, O. H. , Tredoux and Malpass).In addition, if investigators or police officers corroborate the testimony of an eyewitness through “casual remarks and subliminal body messages,” chances are the eyewitness will have the mistaken belief that his or her recollection of the event is the whole truth (Sycamnias). It is argued that social psychological processes differ from individual psychological processes. Also, testimonies overhead by another witness, suggestive comments by investigators and media influence may make eyewitnesses alter, embellish or add inaccurate details or information to their recorded testimonies. Also, people act on this ‘internalized obligation’ consistently because it has become entrenched within them. Social psychology is the scientific study of how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, and implied presence of others. Situational factors in a jury room actually play a role in jurors ascertaining their final decision on which side they will ultimately favour in the end. Also, they can inform jurors on what to look for in eyewitnesses- body language, meanings behind what they are saying- in order to help them arrive at a better decision. Psychological Expertise in Court; and Expert Testimony for the Courts) and is the coeditor of the book series Law and Public Policy: Psychology and the Social Sciences published by APA. A typical legal practitioner, in general is not “convinced that the psychologist has any comprehension of legal problems;…and rebukes him for not drawing freely upon the body of knowledge he has so carefully and laboriously built up” (Loh). The course will begin with an introduction that compares and contrasts the divergent epistemologies of law versus social psychology and introduces students to research methods common in social psychology. Nadler, Janice and Mueller, Pam, Social Psychology and the Law (November 28, 2016). The field of psychology and law values contributions from professionals in a variety of different settings including university and research organizations, clinical practice, law enforcement agencies, correctional institutions, and other governmental and nonprofit agencies. [by helping determine] which eyewitness phenomena are reliable enough for presentation to a jury and which are not… ” since they know more about human behaviour and external and internal factors that affect memory and cognition (Tubb, Hosch, and Memon).Similarly, it should come naturally for legal professionals to seek “those concerned with studying human behaviour,” when dealing with eyewitnesses because these experts can provide them with new knowledge, insights and scientific opinion that they may not be aware of (Davis). Value to the police in developing techniques for been of value to the police in techniques... 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