Potential Jurors’ Perceptions of Polygraphs in Court

The polygraph occupies a contentious place in the justice system. The instrument detects various physical responses and records these results, and the examiner interprets the readings and makes a determination on whether the test subject was truthful or deceptive. Polygraphs are, in some jurisdictions, a part of the court process and in others are forbidden. On the whole, there is less research on the polygraph and their permissibility in the legal process compared to other types of evidence. There is even less research on the opinions of jurors, especially compared to surveys of criminal justice professionals. That which is present is inconsistent. This thesis was intended to measure the opinions of a pool of potential jurors on the relative weight and veracity they assign to the polygraph. With the noted inconsistency, this research was primarily exploratory and replicative in nature. To obtain data, a 17-question online survey was administered to students in nine selected courses. Professors in these courses either forwarded the survey link to their students via email or posted the link on Blackboard. It was emphasized that the survey was strictly voluntary. There were three hypotheses: respondents would have only moderate faith in the polygraph, criminal justice students would have harsher views than those not in such courses, and that those selected to receive the extra literature summary would have harsher views than those who did not. Results of the study only substantiated the first hypothesis. Chi-square analysis showed an almost complete lack of significance in theorized relationships. Receipt of the additional literature summary only affected the respondents’ general opinions of polygraph evidence and was insignificant for every other dependent variable

The impact of magnetic resonance imaging on juror perceptions of guilt

This study examined the impact of MRI-based evidence on juror perceptions of guilt in a criminal case. Jury eligible undergraduates read one of three mock trial summaries of a murder case wherein MRI evidence was manipulated: (1) MRI evidence with accompanying neuroimages, (2) MRI evidence without accompanying brain images, or (3) no MRI evidence. The proportion of guilty verdicts rendered was statistically similar across all conditions. In addition, participants did not list MRI evidence as the most influential piece of evidence for their verdict. Based on the results of this study it appears that MRI-based evidence and neuroimages do not significantly influence the juror decision making processes. Implications and future directions are discussed

Mousetrapping: the ordeals of interpretation

Tese de doutoramento, Estudos Literários (Teoria da Literatura), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2012The assumption that interpretation is widespread and must be tamed is illustrated in the ambition for a touchstone capable of showing the authenticity, or veracity, of certain entities. Such touchstone would have the capacity to help us distinguish friends from enemies, of identifying the quality of particular lines, and of bringing the truth to light. This touchstone, used for the comprehension of others, may be an object, a form of test, or a person. It will, however, be seen that accurate judgments do not derive from the use of the touchstone itself, but from a technical understanding of interpretation conducted by accomplished individuals. Precise forms of judgment are, thus, the result of a combination of factors that include good intuition, or conviction, the ability to learn a specific method or technique, to show something, detect errors and ask questions.Esta tese descreve a ambição por uma pedra de toque que demonstre a veracidade, ou autenticidade, de certas entidades. Esta pedra de toque, que pode ser um objecto, uma pessoa ou um teste, teria a capacidade de nos auxiliar a distinguir amigos de inimigos, de identificar a qualidade de alguns versos e de iluminar a verdade. Argumenta-se, todavia, que juízos precisos não derivam unicamente do uso da pedra de toque, mas de um entendimento técnico de interpretação conduzida por indivíduos hábeis. Bons juízos sobre terceiros são, assim, o resultado de uma combinação de factores que inclui boa intuição, ou convicção, a capacidade de se aprender um método ou uma técnica específica, de detectar erros e de fazer perguntas

Mapping Integrity in the Domain of Trait Personality

This thesis was conducted to empirically examine and compare the different conceptualizations of the integrity test construct identified in previous research. The conceptualizations assert that integrity tests measure a major trait (i.e., Conscientiousness or Honesty-Humility), a combination of major traits, or a combination of minor traits (personality facets). The general fit and predictive validity (of counterproductive work behavior, or CWB) of each conceptualization was tested. Psychology undergraduates (N = 436) participated via online surveys containing two personality scales, two integrity tests, and a CWB scale. The results most support the conceptualizations of integrity as either solely the broad trait Conscientiousness or a combination of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Statistical issues were encountered with the models of several conceptualizations due to the number of predictors used and high multicollinearity between them. A closer examination revealed that integrity tests mostly encompass behaviors typically associated with the traits Conscientiousness and Agreeableness

Machine Learning and other Computational-Intelligence Techniques for Security Applications

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

Your Face Betrays You: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Lie To Me

Research concerning the consequences of edutainment has revealed that television shows have the capability to influence audience members. As the lines between education and entertainment are becoming increasingly blurred, viewers may not be aware of how watching such shows impacts them. Lie to Me is a popular edutainment television series that educates viewers about the power of micro expressions. Ekman has dedicated a large part of his life to the development of research related to micro expressions. The show’s main character, Cal Lightman, portrayed Paul Ekman’s special talents and knowledge through his ability to detect micro expressions. The first three episodes of the first season of Lie to Me did the best job of portraying the show’s overall appeal and role as an edutainment series. In this thesis, I analyze each of these episodes using the narrative paradigm, narrative probability, narrative fidelity, and fantasy themes to answer three important research questions about the influence of edutainment