Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
A survey of people's attitudes and beliefs about false confessions
Linda A Henkel1, Kimberly A J Coffman, Elizabeth M Dailey
1Department of Psychology, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA. lhenkel@mail.fairfield.edu
Abstract:
The attitudes and beliefs of jury eligible individuals regarding false confessions were investigated in order to uncover potential biases. Survey respondents provided perceptions of factors related to false confessions (e.g. their frequency and likely situational and dispositional risk variables). Results indicate that people possess an awareness that false confessions can occur and believe that a confession should not be taken as an absolute indicator of guilt. However, their understanding of predisposing and situational factors that contribute to false confessions was incomplete, as was their understanding of interrogation practices. Furthermore, respondents showed a marked bias against believing that they personally would ever falsely confess, which is discussed in the context of potential inconsistencies between people's self-report and their actual behaviors in naturalistic situations.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
False Memories
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information with...
Confirmation Biases
Understanding Deception
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Eyewitness Memory
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...
Surveys

