Deck 2: Section 2: Interrogations and Confessions

Question 1

Research in the field of social psychology has discovered that people tend to _____ the impact of situational forces, and this process is responsible for believing that suspects in police custody would _____ to the crime they did not commit.

A) overestimate; confess
B) overestimate; not confess
C) disregard; confess
D) disregard; not confess

Answer 1

disregard; not confess

Question 2

During interrogation of a suspect, openly physical brutality was _____ prior to 1930.

A) rarely used
B) sometimes approved
C) generally avoided
D) frequently used

Answer 2

frequently used

Question 3

Even though a _____ may rule that a confession is inadmissible because it was coerced, such rulings are _____.

A) jury; common
B) judge; common
C) jury; rare
D) judge; rare

Answer 3

judge; rare

Question 4

Utilization of a team approach to interrogation is often referred to as:

A) tagging.
B) good cop-bad cop approach.
C) misunderstanding.
D) ambiguous interrogation.

Question 5

Daniela was _____and she waived her Miranda rights during arrest, and decided to tell the police her side of the story without waiting for an attorney. The most likely reason she did that is because she has _____.

A) innocent; nothing to hide
B) guilty; something to hide
C) guilty; no reason to worry
D) afraid; no reason to worry

Question 6

According to the textbook, police prefer a confession because:

A) interrogators have a chance to practice their skills.
B) confessions save time.
C) confessions guarantee a conviction in court.
D) suspects are relieved after admitting to crime.

Question 7

After the publication of the Report on Lawlessness in Law Enforcement in 1931, changes in legislation resulted in the move from _____ physical abuse to _____ forms of abuse.

A) overt; covert
B) covert; overt
C) simple; complex
D) complex; simple

Question 8

A robbery suspect is apprehended and being read his Miranda rights by the police woman arresting him. The suspect is most likely to _____ his Miranda rights.

A) exercise
B) waive
C) remember
D) enjoy

Question 9

Research shows that:

A) it is easy for jurors to discount or ignore a confession when told it is false.
B) it is very difficult for jurors to discount a confession, even when told it is false.
C) jurors can forget the confession if told by the judge that it is false.
D) None of the above statements are true.

Question 10

Miranda rights are intended to notify the suspect of the following rights EXCEPT for the right to:

A) remain silent.
B) have an attorney present.
C) have an attorney provided.
D) remain in custody.

Question 11

All of the following are possible explanations for waiving the Miranda rights, EXCEPT:

A) the suspect may not understand his or her rights clearly.
B) people are used to signing waivers or various kinds.
C) police are very careful in explaining to suspects their rights.
D) people do not want to create an impression they are guilty.

Question 12

According to studies, which form of evidence is most incriminating (likely to lead to conviction)?

A) Eyewitness testimony.
B) Expert testimony.
C) Confession.
D) DNA analysis.

Question 13

Research by Kassin and his colleagues has shown that even when _____ had no problem recognizing that a confession was coerced, they still voted _____ more often.

A) police; not guilty
B) jurors; not guilty
C) police; guilty
D) jurors; guilty

Question 14

The ultimate goal of questioning suspects is to:

A) elicit a confession.
B) define parameters for search.
C) determine best search techniques.
D) provide a basis for DNA analysis.

Question 15

The tendency to attribute others' behavior to dispositional causes such as personality is referred to as:

A) fundamental attribution error.
B) functional fixedness.
C) frustration-aggression hypothesis.
D) false memory syndrome.

Question 16

Michelle is in custody and being interrogated. One of the police officers is being nice and tries to empathize with her while the other one glares at her and accuses her of committing the crime because of her greed. The behavior of the police officers is an example of:

A) providing a sense of control.
B) convincing Michelle that there is no proof of her guilt.
C) playing "good cop-bad cop."
D) establishing a sense of social isolation.

Question 17

According to research studies described in the text, mock jurors who reported that they disregarded the confession as clearly coerced were _____ likely to convict the defendant.

A) somewhat less
B) significantly less
C) still more
D) not more

Question 18

When a confession exists, juries _____ come back with a conviction.

A) never
B) seldom
C) sometimes
D) very often

Question 19

Hugo is interrogated alone and told repeatedly that his guilt is corroborated by both physical evidence and eyewitness accounts. This approach most likely embodies the following strategy used by police during Hugo's interrogation:

A) sense of loss of control and entitlement.
B) autonomous perspective and certainty of guilt.
C) social isolation and certainty of guilt.
D) loss of control and autonomous perspective.

Question 20

Beginning in the 1960s, confessions have been generally ruled inadmissible if they resulted from the following forms of coercion EXCEPT:

A) physical abuse or threats of violence.
B) depriving the suspect of sleep and food.
C) vague promises of leniency at sentencing.
D) explicit promises of immunity from prosecution.

Question 21

Shane was involved in a highly charged court case. His job was to provide an overview of research to assist the jury in making a well-informed decision regarding the suspect, in particular, in regard to the suspect's confession. Shane was called in to serve in what capacity?

A) Special contributor to the court.
B) Expert witness.
C) Crime scene investigator.
D) Clinical psychologist.

Question 22

All of the following is true about the use of torture in interrogations, EXCEPT:

A) there is no direct research on the effectiveness of torture.
B) torture-based interrogations are likely to increase false confessions.
C) there is clear research evidence that torture leads to extracting useful information.
D) people who claim that "torture works" offer only anecdotal evidence to prove their point.

Question 23

False confessions may occur as a result of:

A) intimidation.
B) deception.
C) fatigue.
D) All of these may lead to false confessions.

Question 24

The purpose of exculpatory scenarios is to:

A) provide various possible reasons for the crime to have been committed.
B) increase probability of admission of guilt through offering a justification for actions.
C) reduce confusing circumstances, so an admission of guilt is easier to produce.
D) maximize the importance of the suspect's reason for committing the crime.

Question 25

According to the text, all of the following statements are true, EXCEPT:

A) it may be impossible to know what percentage of all confessions are false.
B) studies prove that false confessions are extremely rare.
C) proven false confessions are only a small portion of all false confessions.
D) studies show that about 25% of wrongful convictions involve false confessions.

Question 26

In the United Kingdom, Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) was enacted to make it illegal to trick suspects or to lie for the purpose of coercing suspects to confess. Studies show that _____, suspects are _____ likely to admit guilt.

A) along with the decline of pressure tactics and trickery; less
B) despite the decline of pressure tactics and trickery; just as
C) despite the decline of pressure tactics and trickery; more
D) along with the increase of pressure tactics and trickery; just as

Question 27

As a result of a long, drawn out interrogation process, Kathryn confessed to a crime knowing that she did not commit it. This type of confession is called an:

A) authentic-voluntary confession.
B) instrumental-coerced confession.
C) authentic-coerced confession.
D) instrumental-voluntary confession.

Question 28

Of all of the traits that can be defined as vulnerability to making a false confession, the most dangerous vulnerability is:

A) youth.
B) mental illness.
C) low intelligence.
D) high aggression.

Question 29

All of the following traits can be defined as vulnerability to making a false confession, EXCEPT:

A) youth.
B) mental illness.
C) low intelligence.
D) high aggression.

Question 30

The Reid technique is _____ used by police when questioning suspects. Establishing a sense of loss of control as part of this technique makes suspects feel _____.

A) rarely; vulnerable
B) often; empowered
C) rarely; empowered
D) often; vulnerable

Question 31

Police may use a variety of evidence ploys during interrogation. This is possible because:

A) police cannot lie during interrogation.
B) police can lie during interrogation.
C) suspects can lie during interrogation.
D) suspects cannot lie during interrogation.

Question 32

Jillian had often suffered from a delusional behavior disorder. When brought in for questioning, she quickly confessed to a crime that she had taken no part in. The term used for this type of false confession is an:

A) instrumental-voluntary confession.
B) authentic-voluntary confession.
C) instrumental-coerced confession.
D) authentic-coerced confession.

Question 33

Jeremy purposely confessed to a crime he did not commit to cover for his wife. This type of confession is referred to as an:

A) instrumental-coerced confession.
B) instrumental-voluntary confession.
C) authentic-coerced confession.
D) authentic-voluntary confession.

Question 34

After an intense interrogation process, Matthew became convinced that he robbed the store. This form of false confession is called an:

A) instrumental-voluntary confession.
B) instrumental-coerced confession.
C) authentic-voluntary confession.
D) authentic-coerced confession.