Social Psychology and the Law
I.    Eyewitness Testimony

        A.    Why are Eyewitnesses often wrong?
                1.    Acquisition--the process by which people notice and pay attention to                     information in the environment.  Factors which limit acquisition include:
                        a.    amount of time spent watching an event
                        b.    nature of viewing conditions
                        c.    fear
                        d.    what one expects to see
                        e.    whether objects and events are familiar
                        f.    odors
                        g.    gender

                2.    Storage--the process by which people store in memory information they have acquired from the environment

                3.    Retrieval--the process by which people recall information stored in their memories

        B.    Judging whether eyewitnesses are mistaken
        C.    Judging whether eyewitnesses are lying

II.    Juries
        A.    Pretrial Publicity
        B.    Information Processing During the Trial
        C.    Deliberations
        D.    Size of the Jury

III.    Why do people obey the law?

        A.    Do severe penalties deter crime?
        B.    Justice and Fairness



Return to Socl 220 Home Page