Chapter 2 - Lie Detection Chapter 3 - Interrogations and Confessions

False Confessions

Innocent individuals admitting to crimes they didn't commit.

DNA Exonerations

Convicted individuals proven innocent via DNA testing.

Innocence Project

Organization focused on DNA exonerations and justice reform.

Plea Bargaining

Negotiated agreement to plead guilty for lesser punishment.

Voluntary False Confessions

Confessions driven by psychological needs or mental illness.

Coerced-Compliant Confessions

Confessions made to escape pressure or gain rewards.

Internalized False Confessions

Suspects convinced they committed a crime by police.

Miranda Rights Waiver

80% of suspects waive rights to speak to police.

Vulnerable Suspects

Individuals more likely to falsely confess due to circumstances.

Cognitive Deficiencies

Low IQ increases likelihood of false confessions.

Suggestible Personalities

Individuals easily influenced to confess falsely.

Marty Tankleff

Teen falsely accused of murdering his parents.

Brendan Dassey

16-year-old who confessed under questionable interrogation conditions.

False Confession Statistics

30% of DNA exonerations involve false confessions.

Death Row Exonerations

21 individuals exonerated after serving time on death row.

Actual Perpetrators Identified

44% of DNA exonerations revealed true offenders.

Psychological Pressure

Interrogation methods causing innocent confessions.

Emotional States

Grief or shock can lead to false confessions.

Developmental Disabilities

Conditions increasing vulnerability to false confessions.

Interrogation Duration

Dassey interrogated for 48 hours before confessing.

Confession Recantation

Dassey later denied involvement after initial confession.

Confession Tapes

Netflix series exploring real-life confession cases.

Criminal Justice Reforms

Initiatives aimed at improving justice system integrity.

Brendan Dassey

Convicted in 2007, later had confession overturned.

Parole Eligibility

Dassey eligible for parole in 2048.

Coerced Confession

Confession obtained under pressure or duress.

Seventh Circuit Court

Court that upheld Dassey's conviction in 2017.

Ken Kratz

Prosecutor who argued against Dassey's innocence.

Miranda v. Arizona

1966 case establishing rights during police interrogations.

Ernesto Miranda

Confessed without being informed of his rights.

Miranda Rights

Rights to silence and legal counsel during interrogation.

Intellectual Deficiencies

Considered irrelevant in Dassey's 2007 trial.

False Confession

Innocent individuals admitting to crimes they did not commit.

Central Park Five

Five men falsely confessed to a 1985 crime.

Reid Technique

Nine-step method for eliciting confessions from suspects.

Interrogation Isolation

Increases anxiety, leading to potential false confessions.

Maximization

Intimidation tactic used to extract confessions.

Minimization

Making confession seem like an easy escape.

Vulnerable Persons

Individuals at risk for false confessions, like minors.

Waiving Miranda Rights

Choosing to speak with police despite rights.

Interrogation Duration

Long interrogations increase risk of false confessions.

Videotaping Interrogations

Recommended practice to ensure transparency in confessions.

Police Deception

Legally allowed to mislead suspects about evidence.

Innocence Trust

Belief that innocence will prevent wrongful convictions.

Confession Pressure

Stress during interrogation may lead innocents to confess.

Lie Detection

Process of identifying deception in communication.

Deception

Deliberate attempt to mislead others.

Nonverbal Behavior

Body language cues indicating truth or lies.

Verbal Content

Words used that may reveal deception.

Physiological Patterns

Physical responses linked to lying, like heart rate.

Polygraph

Device measuring physiological responses to detect lies.

Plea Bargaining

Negotiation to resolve a case without trial.

Jury Selection

Process of choosing jurors for a trial.

Triers of Fact

Individuals determining the facts in a trial.

Corrections

System managing offenders post-conviction.

Sentencing

Judicial determination of punishment for a crime.

Imprisonment

Confinement as a penalty for a crime.

Death Penalty

Capital punishment for severe criminal offenses.

Wrongful Convictions

Innocent individuals convicted of crimes they didn't commit.

Types of Lies

Categories include exaggerations, fabrications, and denials.

Self-oriented Lies

Lies aimed at personal benefit or protection.

Other-oriented Lies

Lies intended to protect social relationships.

Diary Studies

Research method tracking personal lying behavior.

Double Standard Hypothesis

Differing perceptions of lying when lying vs. being lied to.

Anderson (1968) Study

Ranked traits related to honesty and deceit.

Chandler (2018) Study

Confirmed consistency of lying perceptions over decades.

Videotaped statements

Used to analyze truthfulness in participants.

Meta-analysis

Study combining 384 studies with 24,000 participants.

Truth bias

Tendency to assume others are truthful.

Confirmation bias

Favoring information that confirms existing beliefs.

Cues to deception

Indicators believed to signal lying behavior.

Pinocchio's nose

Mythical sign of lying; not scientifically supported.

Cognitive demand of lying

Lying requires more mental effort than truth.

Storytelling backwards

Technique to increase accuracy in lie detection.

Eye contact maintenance

Forces liar to focus, increasing cognitive load.

Drawing related pictures

Engages cognitive resources, revealing inconsistencies.

Strategic evidence use

Exploiting differences in suspect strategies for accuracy.

Early disclosure

Consistent statements aligning with evidence.

Late disclosure

Liars may contradict evidence, revealing deception.

Blood pressure measurement

Physiological response thought to indicate stress.

Heart rate measurement

Increased heart rate may suggest deception.

Galvanic skin response

Skin conductance changes linked to emotional arousal.

Relevant/Irrelevant Test (RIT)

Assesses reactions to relevant vs. irrelevant questions.

High false positive rate

Many innocent individuals incorrectly identified as guilty.

Comparison Question Test (CQT)

Uses emotional arousal from comparison questions.

Relevant Questions

Directly related to the crime being investigated.

Polygraph

Device measuring physiological responses to detect deception.

Psychopathy

Personality disorder marked by lack of empathy.

Countermeasures

Techniques used to manipulate polygraph results.

Guilty Knowledge Test

Test assessing knowledge of crime details, not lying.

Lykken (1981)

Psychologist who developed the Guilty Knowledge Test.

Physiological responses

Body reactions measured during polygraph testing.

Standardization

Uniformity in testing procedures and scoring.

Anxiety and Innocence

Innocence may increase anxiety during polygraph tests.

Classification accuracy

75% guilty, 68% innocent correctly classified by polygraph.

Multiple choice questions

Format used in Guilty Knowledge Test for crime details.

Juror belief

Jurors often trust polygraph results despite legal issues.

Polygraph Protection Act of 1988

Law restricting polygraph use by private employers.

Public employee exemption

Certain government employees can be subjected to polygraphs.

fMRI

Functional MRI, a technology for brain activity measurement.