Law

Are Six Heads as Good as Twelve?: Psychologists show how justice is better served by larger juries.

Demonstrating the Power of Social Situations via a Simulated Prison Experiment: In 1971, a team of psychologists designed and executed an unusual experiment that used a mock prison setting, with college students role-playing prisoners and guards to test the power of the social situation to determine behavior. The research, known as the Stanford Prison Experiment, has become a classic demonstration of situational power to influence individual attitudes, values and behavior. So extreme, swift and unexpected were the transformations of character in many of the participants that this study -- planned to last two-weeks -- had to be terminated by the sixth day.

Increasing Eyewitness Accuracy in the Lineup Procedure Is All in How You Ask the Question: Identifying the true criminal from a lineup of suspects is a classic police technique that too often leads to inaccurate arrests and convictions. Psychological research has suggested ways to improve the accuracy and fairness of this technique.

Obeying and Resisting Malevolent Orders: Stanley Milgram's famous experiment highlights the powerful human tendency to obey authority.

Prison Substance Abuse Treatment With Aftercare Reduces Recidivism: Psychological research shows treating prisoner's drug problems while in and after prison helps keep them off drugs, out of prison and employed.

Segregation Ruled Unconstitutional: Research by psychologists demonstrated that racial bias and segregation created negative self-images in Black children.

The Truth About Lie Detectors (aka Polygraph Tests): Most psychologists agree that there is little evidence that polygraph tests can accurately detect lies.

To Catch a Thief: The Psychology of Fingerprints: A psychologists’ research showing that no two people have the same fingerprints gives law enforcement a highly reliable way to identify people who don’t want to be identified.