title: Police reports of mock suspect interrogations: A test of accuracy and perception.
abstract: A 2-phased experiment assessed the accuracy and completeness of police reports on mock interrogations and their effects on people's perceptions. In Phase 1, 16 experienced officers investigated a mock crime scene, interrogated 2 innocent suspects-1 described by the experimenter as more suspicious than the other-and filed an incident report. All 32 sessions were covertly recorded; the recordings were later used to assess the reports. In Phase 2, 96 lay participants were presented with a brief summary of the case and then either read 1 police report, read 1 verbatim interrogation transcript, or listened to an audiotape of a session. Results showed that (a) Police and suspects diverged in their perceptions of the interrogations; (b) Police committed frequent errors of omission in their reports, understating their use of confrontation, maximization, leniency, and false evidence; and (c) Phase 2 participants who read a police report, compared to those who read a verbatim transcript, perceived the process as less pressure-filled and were more likely to misjudge suspects as guilty. These findings are limited by the brevity and low-stakes nature of the task and by the fact that no significant effects were obtained for our suspicion manipulation, suggesting a need for more research. Limitations notwithstanding, this study adds to a growing empirical literature indicating the need for a requirement that all suspect interrogations be electronically recorded. To provide a more objective and accurate account of what transpired, this study also suggests the benefit of producing verbatim transcripts. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
authors.forename: Saul M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kassin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Towson University.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kukucka
authors.affiliation: Institute for State and Local Governance of the City University of New York.
authors.forename: Victoria Z
authors.initials: VZ
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice, University of New Haven.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: DeCarlo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D057237:Criminals / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009511:New England; D010465:Perception; D016495:Police / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013637:Tape Recording; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult