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When Thoughts Weigh Heavy: Outsmarting the Liars
One of my guilty pleasures is the long-running TV show NCIS, a drama focused on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The hero is a former Marine, now Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, a disciplined detective with
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When Eyewitnesses Talk, Justice Is Distorted
A research report explains how eyewitnesses’ memories can become distorted after speaking with co-witnesses.
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Cheating the Lie Detector
In its war on terror, the U.S. government uses handheld lie detectors for fast screening of terrorism suspects. It has been shown that the pocket polygraphs have high error rates and are susceptible to successful
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New Lie Detecting Technique
One of the most important abilities for solving crimes is the ability to detect lies. But despite the methods that have been developed for this purpose, they can still be sidestepped by the most seasoned
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Study: Discriminating Fact from Fiction in Recovered Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse
A decade or so ago, a spate of high profile legal cases arose in which people were accused, and often convicted, on the basis of “recovered memories.” These memories, usually recollections of childhood abuse, arose
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New Research Shows Children Less Prone to False Memories than Adults, Challenging Assumptions About Eyewitness Testimony.
In the 1980’s, a spate of high profile child abuse convictions gave way to heightened concern about false memory reports given by children. Take, for example, the case of Kelly Michaels, a preschool teacher who
