I still think it was a banana:memorable lies and forgettable truths

Interpersonal influences on cognition can distort memory judgements. Two experiments examined the nature of these ‘social’ influences, and whether their persistence is independent of their accuracy. Experiment 1 found that a confederate’s social proximity, as well as the content and the confidence of their utterances, interactively modulate participants’ immediate conformity. Notably, errant confederate statements that ‘lied’ about encoded material had a particularly strong immediate distorting influence on memory judgements. Experiment 2 revealed that these ‘lies’ were also memorable, continuing a day later to impair memory accuracy, while accurate confederate statements failed to produce a corresponding and lasting beneficial effect on memory. These findings suggest that an individual’s ‘informational’ social influence can be selectively heightened when they express misinformation to someone who suspects no deceptive intent. The methods newly introduced here thus allow multiple social and cognitive factors impinging on memory accuracy to be manipulated and examined during realistic, precisely controlled dyadic social interactions

The use of self-disclosure to build rapport with mock covert human intelligence sources (CHIS)

The use of covert human intelligence sources for the protection of national security is an important but under-researched area. In light of increased globalisation, and technological developments, examining covert intelligence gathering online may have operational relevance. This study examined the use of similarities in self disclosure to develop rapport with mock covert human intelligence sources online. A sample of 66 participants were asked to assume the role of a CHIS, listen to an audio recording of a meeting of the criminal network they are part of, and strike a balance between being forthcoming to their handler while at the same time not revealing all information they possessed. They were then interviewed online by a mock handler who opened the conversation in one of three ways: self-disclosing information that highlighted similarities between herself and the CHIS, self disclosing information that highlighted dissimilarities, or control (no disclosure). Participants completed a follow-up rapport questionnaire based on their interaction with the handler. The study found that mock sources rated rapport higher in the similarities condition in comparison with other conditions; however, it did not translate into a significant difference in the intelligence reported. The findings of this research and its policy and practice implications are discussed

Facilitators and barriers of bystander intervention: A focus group study with a university sample

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) encompasses the taking, sharing, and/or threatening to share nude or sexual images of others without their consent. The prevalence of IBSA is growing rapidly due to technological advancements, such as access to smartphones, that have made engagement in such activities easier. Bystanders offer an important means of intervention, but little is known about what facilitates or inhibits bystander action in these contexts. To address this gap in the literature, seven focus groups (n = 35) were conducted to explore the factors that facilitate and inhibit bystander action in the context of three different IBSA scenarios (taking, sharing, and making threats to share nude or sexual images without consent). Using thematic analysis, eight themes were identified, suggesting that the perceived likelihood of intervention increased with greater feelings of responsibility, empathy with the victim, reduced feelings of audience inhibition, greater feelings of safety, greater anger toward the IBSA behavior, closer relationships with the victim and perpetrator, the incident involving a female victim and male perpetrator, and perception of greater benefits of police involvement. These findings are considered alongside the physical sexual violence literature in highlighting the similarities and nuances across the different contexts. Implications for the development of policies and educational materials are discussed in relation to encouraging greater bystander intervention in IBSA contexts

Evaluation of Forensic Interviews and Interrogations: A Thematic Analysis of Law-Enforcement Views

Purpose. Effective forensic interviewing is crucial, particularly if the interview is the only source of evidence. Whilst there are a number of non-coercive interview models that advocate for reflective practice, the evaluation of interviews rarely gets the time or attention it deserves. This is concerning given that interviewer skills drop significantly after six months, and there are limited opportunities for refresher training. The aims of the current study were to explore how law enforcement officers reflect upon and evaluate their interviews and seek their insight into what they believe an effective evaluation tool would constitute. Methodology. A total of 32 officers from three police forces in England and Wales and six international security organisations completed a qualitative questionnaire that explored their views on how interview evaluation is conducted and the impact on the interview, and how technology could assist in this important stage in terms of usability, efficacy and capability of a new evaluation tool. Findings. Thematic Analysis was utilised resulting in three overall themes emerging from the data. These focused on current evaluation methods, barriers to conducting evaluations and technological solutions. Originality. The findings are discussed in relation to interviewing and the Forensic Interview Trace©. Implications for practice include the need for much more effort to be put into (re) introducing the evaluation stage into training to ensure that officers are allowed to reflect upon and evaluate their interview performance

A systematic review exploring variables related to bystander intervention in sexual violence contexts

This article presents a systematic review of the available literature which has investigated the role of key variables in facilitating or inhibiting bystander intervention (including direct intervention, tertiary and secondary prevention) in sexual violence (SV) contexts. Studies exploring the role of individual, situational and contextual variables were grouped to provide a narrative overview of bystanders’ personal characteristics as well as the immediate and wider contexts which may be influencing their bystander behaviour. A systematic search of published literature from four electronic databases identified 2526 articles that were screened, of which 85 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused upon the role of individual variables, in particular gender of bystander. This body of work finds females are more likely to intervene than males; however, not all studies report these differences and in some cases, this is influenced by the type of intervention behaviour being considered. Regarding situational variables, the most commonly researched variable was the presence of other bystanders, although the role of this variable as inhibiting or facilitating was not clear. Finally, the most commonly researched contextual variable was social norms towards intervention, which has consistently shown greater bystander intervention when there is a belief that peers support such behaviour. Very few studies considered the interaction between these variables. Therefore, it is important for future research to consider this gap in the literature so that we can obtain a more well-rounded understanding of variables that can inhibit and facilitate bystander intervention in SV contexts

Exogenous social identity cues differentially affect the dynamic tracking of individual target faces

We report on an experiment to investigate the top-down effect of exogenous social identity cues on a multiple-identity tracking task, a paradigm well suited to investigate the processes of binding identity to spatial locations. Here we simulated an eyewitness event in which dynamic targets, all to be tracked with equal effort, were identified from among a “crowd” of 8 faces, as an assailant, bystander, policeman, and victim. Even in such a simplistic paradigm, where no actual assault was witnessed and no consequences were associated with the task, results demonstrated a significant attentional bias, namely that participants were significantly better at tracking the assailant, bystander, and policeman than they were the victim. We found no difference in accurate recall based on the use of text or face cues and no systematic pattern of response errors

An exploration into why there is an overrepresentation of BAME people in missing person cases

The overrepresentation of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in missing person cases is an issue that is not understood within society and has largely been neglected within academic literature to date. This study, therefore, aims to explore why this overrepresentation might exist by obtaining the views and opinions of 24 professionals (including police officers) working within the field of missing people. The study used a qualitative, exploratory method and an anonymous online survey containing a series of open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was performed on the data, and three main themes were identified; the first related to the idea that cultural issues within BAME communities increase the propensity for BAME people to go missing; the second related to how certain vulnerabilities, such as being an asylum seeker, are more likely to affect BAME people and therefore increase their propensity to go missing; the third alluded to how BAME overrepresentation may depend on geographical location. These themes, and associated sub-themes, provide insights regarding how best to address the overrepresentation of BAME people in missing person cases. For example, the need to develop preventative measures and educational programmes that target BAME communities, and the need for better representation of BAME people in relevant support services. Overall, the findings make a significant contribution to understanding the overrepresentation of BAME people in missing person cases and have important implications for organisations that work with missing people and BAME communities

Developing a narrative theory of deception for the analysis of mock-Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS) accounts

Human source intelligence (HUMINT) practitioners are concerned with detecting informant deception, and previous research indicates that the verbal content of an informant’s narrative can be used to identify potential deceit. The current study extends previous research by analysing the narrative structure and narrative identity of accounts provided by 22 participants undertaking the role of a mock-informant. Results indicate that deception affects the structure of a mock-informant narrative, with deceptive mock-informants employing abstract introductions and evaluative remarks to withhold information and to distract their listeners with emotional content. Additionally, deceptive mock-informants are more likely to express a low potency narrative role, such as a victim or tragic hero. Furthermore, there is tentative evidence to suggest that an analysis of narrative identity can also provide an indication of varying levels of motivation and cooperation among truthful mock-informants. These findings have implications for HUMINT practitioners in the field and add to the wider body of deception detection research

Situational facilitators and barriers of bystander intervention intent in image-based sexual abuse contexts

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) encompasses the taking, sharing, and/or making threats to share nude or sexual images of others without consent. Research shows that a large percentage of individuals have been a bystander to IBSA, but most do not intervene. Currently, there is little understanding of why this is the case. The research presented in this article begins to address this gap in the literature by identifying situational factors which facilitate or inhibit behavioural intentions to intervene through three experimental studies. In each study, situational factors were manipulated using vignettes which depicted the taking of images without consent (Study 1; n = 126), sharing images without consent (Study 2; n = 125), and threatening to share images (Study 3; n = 125). The dependent variable across studies was how likely they would be to intervene if they witnessed the scenario described. Study 1 investigated the effect of the presence of other bystanders (no other bystanders present, other bystanders present who were friends with each other, or other bystanders present who were strangers to each other) and no significant effect was found. Study 2 investigated the role of initial consent to take the image (self-taken or stealth-taken) and bystander relationship with the victim (friend or stranger). Likelihood to intervene was less likely when the image was self-taken and the victim was a stranger. Finally, Study 3 investigated the role of initial consent to take the image and bystander relationship with the perpetrator (friend or stranger). Perpetrator-focused intervention was more likely, but justice-focused intervention was less likely, when the perpetrator was a friend. These findings have implications for the development of educational materials, campaigns, and agendas aimed at encouraging bystander intervention

Racial bias in risk allocation and resource utilisation: A contributing factor to ethnic minority overrepresentation in missing person investigations?

Statistics from the National Crime Agency reveal that people from ethnic minority backgrounds are over-represented within the missing population in the United Kingdom, and previous archival studies have shown there is a discrepancy in the recovery of ethnic minority missing persons compared to White missing persons. A wider body of research shows that racial bias is prevalent in the criminal justice system and law enforcement, resulting in different outcomes for victims depending on their racial background. Such outcomes have yet to be examined in the context of missing persons. Therefore, this study tries to address this gap in the literature by examining whether racial bias within the investigative process is a potential factor contributing to the documented over-representation. Using a 2 x 2 between- groups vignette study, police officers in the UK with experience in missing person investigations were presented with one of four hypothetical missing person scenarios. Race of the missing person (Black or White), and risk factors present (no suicide or suicide risk), were manipulated. Participants were asked to make a risk assessment and indicate how likely they were to use available investigative resources to find the missing person. Quantitative results indicate that police officers were not more likely to allocate resources to the White missing woman in either risk condition, although a thematic analysis reveals patterns in risk allocation that are different dependent on race. These findings give insight to the decision-making process of police officers that have implications for the development of policies within missing person investigations