The Effect of Visual Suggestion on the Perception of Voluntariness in Confession

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The Effect of Visual Suggestion on the Perception of Voluntariness in Confession Jimin Pyo1* and Kwang B. Park1 1 Chungbuk National University, Department of Psychology, South Korea Previous research found that video-recorded confessions made with the camera focused on the suspect would lead observers to assess that the suspect's statements were more voluntary and conclude that the suspect was more likely to be guilty than if the camera focused on the interrogator or on both the suspect and interrogator equally. It was hypothesized that an observer may tend to assess the confession of the suspect focused in a video-recorded interrogation as voluntary because the video showing the frontal view of the confessing suspect conveys a suggestion of volunatariness to the viewer. The task for the subjects in the experiment consisted of listening to an audio, as opposed to video, recording of custodial interrogation, evaluating the volunatariness and truthfulness of the confession made by the suspect during the interrogation, and determining the ultimate guilt of the suspect. While instructing the subjects about the experimental task, a still photo showing a typical interrogation room as an example was used to manipulate the suggestion (independent variable); no visual illustration of custodial interrogation for the subjects in the No Suggestion condition; a still photo showing the full frontal view of the suspect for the subjects in the Suspect-Focused Suggestion condition; a still photo showing the full frontal view of the interrogator for the subjects in the Interrogator-Focused Suggestion condition; and a still photo showing the profiles of a suspect and an interrogator sitting face to face to each other for the subjects in the Equally-Focused Suggestion condition. After the instruction was given to the subjects, the still photo was removed from the visual field of the subjects. And the subjects in all conditions listened to an audio recording of a custodial interrogation. At the end of the audio recording which contained the suspect's confession, the subjects rated voluntariness and truthfulness of the confession and the guilt of the suspect in the audio recording. As predicted, the results provided a support for the hypothesis that a subtle suggestion conveyed by a still photo affects the judgments regarding the voluntariness and veracity of the confession, and the determination of the suspect's guilt.