Forensic Psychology: Witness Investigation
Discover how psychology can help obtain evidence from eyewitnesses in police investigations.
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Summary
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Discover how psychology can help obtain evidence from eyewitnesses in police investigations and prevent miscarriages of justice.
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Description
Try to solve a crime using nothing but eyewitness evidence
Despite advances in forensic science, eyewitness testimony remains a critical component of criminal investigations. But psychological research has revealed the dangers of relying on this testimony and how careful the police must be when questioning witnesses.
Using videos of real witnesses, from behind the scenes of a police investigation, this course explores the psychology of eyewitness testimony.
You will get the chance to test your own cognitive skills and see if your investigative powers are as good as police officers’, as you try to solve a crime using nothing but eyewitness evidence.
What topics will you cover?
- Eyewitness testimony
- Witness memory
- Inattentional blindness and observation of criminal incidents
- Interviewing witnesses
- Facial recognition
- Visual identification
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
- Investigate and understand the psychology of eyewitness testimony
- Develop your own investigative skills
- Explore human cognition and discover the mistakes your own brain can make
- Discuss concepts of criminal investigation
- Explore and consider the relationship between limitations of the human brain and miscarriages of justice
Who is this course for?
This course is intended for those with an interest in psychology and/or criminal investigation, and does not require any previous experience of studying either subject.
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