How Can False Memory Lead People To False Confessions

Can false memory lead people to false confessions? In the current criminal justice system, if suspects admit to committing the crime, it is often used as evidence against them. However, during the interrogation process, the police may present false evidence and use suggestive questions to make the suspect willing to confess. There are three types of false confession: voluntary, coerced-compliant, and coerced internalized. Voluntary is when the suspect confesses based on his or her own decisions without outside pressure. Coerced-compliant is when the suspect confesses for his or her own benefit. Coerced internalized is when the suspect believes they actually committed the crime. A number of cases have shown that suspects believed they have committed crimes because of suggestions made to them through the interrogation process. Whether

Saul M. Kassin and Katherine L. Kiechel from Williams College wrote a research article on the question titled “The Social Psychology of False Confessions: Compliance, Internalization, and Confabulation”. The research was done on 40 male and 39 female undergraduates, who were told to participate in a reaction time experiment for extra credit. There were four groups that were divided by whether one had high or low vulnerability and the presence and absence of false witnesses. In order that students did not know the true purpose of the experiment, the researchers gave them a questionnaire unrelated to the goals of the experiment. There were one students and one confederate in each session. One student would read a list of words and the other would type the words, and they switched roles after 3 minutes. However,