Forensic Cognition

Following on from the cognitive profling item posted yesterday, I thought I'd draw your attention to an excellent cognitive psychology resource.

Cognitive Daily reports on fascinating peer-reviewed developments in cognition from the most respected scientists in the field.


The blog is maintained by Dave Munger and Margaret P. Munger who note that the research they feature isn't dumbed down, but it's explained in language that everyone can understand, with clear illustrations and references to the original research.

This is a must bookmark resource for anybody interested in the application of cognitive psychology within a legal context as the site regularly features research that has implications within the criminal justice system. For instance, a recent feature wonderfully entitled 'When crime-fighting tools go bad: Problems with the face-composite system' examined research into face perception and memory to investigate what happens when a suspect is captured and the witness is asked to identify the real perpetrator in a lineup? Does the witness remember the actual face they saw at the crime scene, or the composite face created at the police station?

Click Here To Read The Article in Full

Cognitive Profiling: The Future Of Crime Detection?

Came across a fascinating article addressing the potential use and implications of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) i.e. brain fingerprinting. Drawing on the views of law professor Jeffery Rosen the article addresses how brain fingerprinting may be used to direct

government policy in relation to issues of national security and criminal justice.

The article also notes the comments of Steve Silberman, who writing for wired magazine notes that scientists are already employing brain fingerprinting technology to analyze the cognitive differences between truth and lies.

Given the concerns regarding the documented unreliability of the polygraph (lie detector), Silberman contends that subject to further empirical testing, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) may prove effective in solving crimes or preventing terrorism.

Click Here To Read The Article

Forensic Psychology Book of The Month

In response to a number of e-mails I received, I've just added a Forensic Psychology Book of the month page to the main forensic psychology website.

Whether you are new to forensic psychology, currently studying the topic, or consider yourself an expert in the field, each of the featured books will help further your understanding of the application of psychology within the criminal justice system and/or specific areas of forensic psychology theory and practice.

The October book of the month is Minds on Trial: Great Cases in Law and Psychology

This excellent casebook details 20 high-profile court cases that turned, at least in part, on the expertise of forensic psychologists and psychiatrists and involved such psychological issues as insanity, criminal profiling, capital punishment, competence to stand trial, infanticide, domestic violence, false confessions, and psychological autopsies. The defendents in these cases include household names such as Woodly Allen, Mike Tyson, Patty Hearst,and Jeffrey Dahmer. For full details, just click on the link below.

Click Here To Visit The Forensic Psychology Book of the Month Page

Great Free Stuff For Students

I've just updated the student free stuff page on the main forensic psychology website. Among the great things you can get hold of for absolutely nothing is the The Student's Guide to APA Psychology. This brilliant free software download shows you how to document and format research papers in the style of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychologist. It has been Revised and updated to the new 5th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

Click Here For More Details

hard-wired for murder?

According to psychologist Dr David Buss in his book the murderer next door, we are all hard wired to kill no matter how mild mannered we may appear on the outside.

Having studied a host of different cultures, as well as analysing half a million FBI murder files, Dr Buss explains this drive to kill in terms of human mating strategies, sexual conflict and evolutionary psychology.

Contemporary society has increased the cost of murder, the threat of prison and incarceration being the most obvious way, however, Dr Buss argues that it doesn't shut off the underlying psychology.

Amazon are currently selling the hard back version of the murderer next door for just $5.99 that a saving of 75%!

Click on the link for more details.

The Murderer Next Door