RELIABILITY OF EVIDENCE - METHODS FOR ANALYZING AND ASSESSING WITNESS STATEMENTS

• NCJ Number: 14777
• Author(s): A TRANKELL
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 167 pages
• Language: English
• Country: Sweden

Annotation

INTRODUCTION OF A SYSTEM OF IDEAS ON HOW EVIDENCE BASED ON HUMAN OBSERVATION SHOULD BE ANALYZED IN ORDER TO ENSURE SCIENTIFIC PRECISION AND INTEGRITY.

Abstract

THE AUTHOR CONTENDS THAT WHENEVER A WITNESS DISTORTS REALITY OR DESCRIBES IT IN A MISLEADING WAY, THE DISTORTIONS OR INCORRECT INTERPRETATIONS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THEIR ORIGINS. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT IN A LARGE NUMBER OF CASES IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO RECONSTRUCT THE REAL COURSE OF EVENTS BEHIND THE DISTORTED REPORTS, PROVIDED YOU COULD DETECT AND DESCRIBE THE FACTORS WHICH GAVE RISE TO THE CONTENT AND FORM OF THE STATEMENTS. ELEMENTARY CONCEPTS IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERCEPTION, MEMORY AND VERBAL COMMUNICATION ARE REVIEWED. HOW WITNESS PSYCHOLOGY WORKS IS DEMONSTRATED BY TWO EXPERIMENTS IN WHICH IMPORTANT DISTORTION MECHANISMS BEHIND WITNESS REPORTS ARE ILLUMINATED. ALSO PRESENTED IS A METHODOLOGY FOR THE WITNESS PSYCHOLOGIST'S INVESTIGATION. EXAMPLES FROM CRIMINAL CASES IN WHICH THE AUTHOR ACTED AS AN EXPERT ON WITNESS EVIDENCE IN THE SWEDISH COURTS ILLUSTRATE THE ABSTRACT REASONING. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)