Scott Freng

Determining True and False Witnessed Events: Can an Eyewitness-Implicit Association Test Distinguish Between the Seen and Unseen

Despite the current popularity of indirect cognitive measures in psychology, there is a paucity of research using indirect measures in the psychology and law literature. We bridge this gap in two studies in which we tested whether a modified version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) could distinguish between seen and unseen events from a previously witnessed incident. College students (total N = 69) viewed a short crime video and completed an eyewitness-Implicit Association Test (eIAT) and recognition task. In Study 1, the eIAT and recognition task presented true and false central and peripheral details from the video. In Study 2, we used a misinformation paradigm to test the utility of the eIAT. In both studies, the eIAT successfully distinguished between witnessed and non-witnessed details. However, in Study 2, the eIAT did not improve upon the recognition tasks ability to correctly classify participants (i.e., control vs. misinformed group). Implications are discussed.

The Role of Statistics and Research Methods in the Academic Success of Psychology Majors: Do Performance and Enrollment Timing Matter?.

Comprehension of statistics and research methods is crucial to understanding psychology as a science (APA, 2007). However, psychology majors sometimes approach methodology courses with derision or anxiety (Onwuegbuzie & Wilson, 2003; Rajecki, Appleby, Williams, Johnson, & Jeschke, 2005); consequently, students may postpone enrollment (Onwuegbuzie, 2004). We examined the importance of methodology course performance (i.e., grade) and timing of enrollment in these courses for the academic success of psychology majors. After controlling for number of courses taken, relevant American College Test (ACT) scores, and prior Grade Point Average (GPA), we found that methodology course grade and timing of enrollment predicted upper-division psychology GPA. In addition, methodology course grade predicted performance on an assessment of knowledge in psychology. We discuss implications of these results for teaching and advising.

I Don't Like the Cut of your Jib: Perceived Facial Masculinity as a Cue to Criminality

Previous research has established that the appearance of criminal suspects and defendants can affect subsequent legal decisions. Specifically, researchers have proposed that (1) masculine suspects are believed to commit more stereotypically male crimes (e.g., burglary), (2) masculine suspects are believed to commit more violent crimes (e.g., assault), and (3) masculinity is a general cue for committing crime. The current study sought to test these competing hypotheses regarding masculine appearance and perceived criminality. Across three studies, participants read a brief crime scenario and were asked to select out of a lineup the suspect they believed had committed the crime. Suspect masculinity and type of crime were manipulated to determine whether the degree of masculinity influenced whether participants believed they had committed the crime. Results showed that participants consistently associated masculinity with committing violent crime and showed some evidence for the general criminality hypothesis on secondary measures. These findings have important implications regarding law enforcement, eyewitness and juror bias, and legal decisions.

The role of implicit associations and explicit expectancies related to alcohol use: a comparison of Lithuanian and US college samples

ABSTRACT The purpose of the current study was to (1) explore for cultural differences in harmful alcohol use and (2) examine whether explicit alcohol expectancies and implicit alcohol associations predict use. University students from Lithuania (n = 63) and the USA (n = 81) completed explicit and implicit measures regarding alcohol use. We found that compared to Lithuanian college students, US college students reported higher harmful alcohol use, endorsed more positive alcohol expectancies and had significantly fewer negative implicit alcohol associations. For both samples, both positive expectancies and implicit associations predicted harmful use.

Reversal of Fortune: When Does Increased Distance from an Initial Negligent Act Make One More Blameworthy?

Early investigations into the effect of distance between negligent acts and subsequent harm demonstrated a causal proximity bias in judgments of blame. Specifically, fewer mediating steps between a negligent act and subsequent harm resulted in more blameworthy defendants. However, we reasoned that sometimes extra steps in a causal chain could be viewed as additional opportunities for the defendant to intervene and prevent a harmful outcome. Therefore, extra steps, or increased causal distance, without intervention by the defendant would make the defendant seem more blameworthy. Across three studies (N = 338), we demonstrated that although reversing the causal proximity bias is relatively easy, obtaining the original causal proximity bias is surprisingly difficult. We argue that increasing the number of causal steps to an outcome can be perceived as missed opportunities for the perpetrator to take corrective action. Therefore, the more steps to an outcome, the more blameworthy a defendant is judged.