Can training improve eyewitness identification? The effect of internal feature focus on memory for faces

Evidence suggests that individuals rely on external features such as hair and face shape when processing and recognising unfamiliar faces. This is problematic in a forensic setting because hairstyle can be changed easily. In two studies we examined whether training individuals to focus more on the stable, internal features of the face (e.g. eyes, nose and mouth) and hence less on the changeable external features would improve identification accuracy. In Study 1, participants were instructed to focus on: (1) internal features, (2) external features, or (3) both internal and external features. Participants’ eye movements were monitored while they studied target faces, which they later tried to identify from an array that included the target with a changed appearance. In Study 2, participants were instructed to focus on: (1) internal features, (2) external features, or (3) given no instructions. Participants were required to identify target faces from line-ups, where they were presented either unchanged or with an altered hairstyle. Results suggested that training individuals to attend to internal features of unfamiliar faces may improve identification accuracy in the common situation where external features have changed between presentation and identification. However, internal feature focus may decrease identification accuracy when external features are unchanged.     

Does it matter if those who matter don't mind? Effects of gang versus delinquent peer group membership on labeling processes

Despite renewed interests in the labeling perspective and the impact of official intervention on individuals’ future outcomes, scant attention has been given to potential conditioning factors for theorized labeling processes. We argue that, when viewed through a symbolic interactionist lens, variations in the nature of primary social groups, through which individuals filter official labels like arrest, may generate patterns for subsequent self-concept and delinquency that are contrary to what labeling theory indicates. To test our rationale, we offer a moderated mediation model in which gang membership is expected to differentially impact the effect of arrest on future delinquency through an intermediary mechanism: self-esteem. We test a gang–nongang dichotomy and then probe further to test whether hypothesized effects are gang specific or occur similarly for nongang youths with highly delinquent peer groups. Analyzed using Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) data (N = 961), comparisons between gang members and nonaffiliated youths with similarly highly delinquent peer groups revealed no significant differences in conditional indirect effects of arrest on self-esteem and future delinquency; the two groups were similarly insulated from any negative impact of arrest on self-esteem. For nongang youths with fewer delinquent peers, however, arrest significantly reduced later self-esteem, which in turn increased their future delinquency.     

Restitution of money spent on loot boxes in video games?

A loot box is a virtual item in a video game that contains a randomised selection of other virtual items which can be used in the game once the loot box is unlocked. As loot boxes have become widespread in modern video games, concerns are growing about their predatory nature and their similarities with gambling, especially since loot boxes are often purchased by minors.In this paper, we analyse whether private law offers a framework for protecting video game players, by allowing them to claim restitution of the money that they have spent on loot boxes. Such restitution is conceivable when the purchase of a loot box is an invalid contract. In this paper, we focus on two grounds of invalidity: incapacity (since loot boxes are often purchased by minors) and illegality (since, at least in some jurisdictions, loot boxes violate the national gambling regulations and may infringe public order).     

Can a witness report hearsay evidence unintentionally? The effects of discussion on eyewitness memory

Abstract

When eyewitnesses are exposed to misinformation about an event from a co-witness, they often incorporate this misinformation in their recall of the event. The current research aimed to investigate whether this memory conformity phenomenon is due to change in the witness's memory for the event, or to social pressures to conform to the co-witness's account. Participants were shown a crime video and then asked to discuss the video in groups, with some receiving misinformation about the event from their discussion partners. After a one-week delay some participants were warned about possible misinformation before all participants provided their own account of the event. In Study 1, participants made remember/know judgments about the items recalled, and in Study 2 they indicated the source of their memories. Co-witness information was incorporated into participants’ testimonies, and this effect was not reduced by warnings or source monitoring instructions, suggesting memory change may have occurred. However, there was some indication that remember/know judgments may help distinguish between ‘real’ memories and co-witness information.     

Does context matter in academic entrepreneurship? The role of barriers and drivers in the regional and national context

With pressure on universities to better contribute to society, academic entrepreneurship is an increasingly recognised source of new knowledge and technologies as well as being a driver of the movement to a knowledge society. However, whilst growing, the level of academic entrepreneurship in Europe is still relatively low. Two reasons that are factors influencing this are inhibitors (barriers) and facilitators (drivers), however the understanding of how their interplay influences academic entrepreneurship, particularly across different context is lacking. For this reason, this study focussed on two environmental settings, European regions and countries, seeking to understand if it is the hurdle (barrier) or (and/or) tail-wind (drivers) that most impacts academic entrepreneurship and how does the regional or national context influence this. An online survey was translated into 22 languages and undertaken in 33 countries in Europe and the European Economic Area. From the original data set, 12 countries in four European regions provided a sample of 2925 responses, with a second step to focus on four ‘lead’ countries within those regions. The results show that there is a significant difference in the university-business cooperation barriers and drivers that effect academic entrepreneurship in the European regions. Furthermore, different barriers and drivers were found to significantly affect the four lead countries with barriers and drivers being able to provide a good explanation of the extent of academic entrepreneurship in the UK and Germany, and a limited explanation of entrepreneurial activity by Spanish and Polish academics. Overall the article contributes to the literature of resource-based theory and also the understanding of factors influencing European academic entrepreneurship.     

Why Does Copyright Ignore Performers? The Case of Flamenco in Spain

Abstract

This article analyzes the gap between the perceived value of the performer's contributions to the musical work and the treatment that it receives in the market. It applies to the case of flamenco in Spain. The proposed methodology is based on three approaches: a study of intellectual property laws; interviews with experts to differentiate among creative and humdrum agents; and finally, double system surveys to determine the perceived valuation of the contributions of such agents. The conclusions show how the flamenco performer develops a creative labor; however, it is not protected by copyright or via royalties, commensurate with its importance.     

Liberal Rights versus Islamic Law? The Construction of a Binary in Malaysian Politics

Why are liberal rights and Islamic law understood in binary and exclusivist terms at some moments, but not others? In this study, I trace when, why, and how an Islamic law versus liberal rights binary emerged in Malaysian political discourse and popular legal consciousness. I find that Malaysian legal institutions were hardwired to produce vexing legal questions, which competing groups of activists transformed into compelling narratives of injustice. By tracing the development of this spectacle in the courtroom and beyond, I show how the dueling binaries of liberal rights versus Islamic law, individual rights versus collective rights, and secularism versus religion were contingent on institutional design and political agency, rather than irreconcilable tensions between liberal rights and the Islamic legal tradition in some intrinsic sense. More broadly, the research contributes to our understanding of how popular legal consciousness is shaped by legal mobilization and countermobilization beyond the court of law.     

Does a therapeutic court context matter?: The likelihood of imprisonment for Indigenous and non-Indigenous offenders sentenced in problem-solving courts

A key aspect of the focal concerns perspective of sentencing is that time and information restrictions within the courtroom create the conditions under which perceptual shorthands may impact sentencing determinations. These shorthands are based stereotypes related to offender characteristics including minority group statuses (i.e. ethnicity, race, Indigenous status) (Steffensmeier et al., 1998). To date, sentencing scholars drawing on the focal concerns perspective have only considered the impact of minority group statuses on sentencing in the mainstream courts (Mitchell, 2005; Spohn, 2000). Utilizing multiple regression techniques the current paper explores the impact of Indigenous status on the decision to imprison in the problem solving courts of South Australia. Unlike the mainstream courts, sentencing determinations within the therapeutic problem-solving court environment involve a more extensive examination of offenders and their cases and by extension, perceptual shorthands should be less influential. Evidence supporting this argument is provided by the current research. Results show a direct relationship between Indigenous status and the likelihood of imprisonment, with leniency being extended to Indigenous offenders.     

What shoe was that? The use of computerised image database to assist in identification

The use of a computerised (digital image-based) reference system for the capture, storage and retrieval of shoe soles and uppers has the ability to give quick and reliable information to the investigator in relation to the brand and model of shoe responsible for latent impressions located at crime scenes. The success of the system described is due to the diversity and simplicity of the classification codes, coupled with the ability to search part or all of a shoe sole area. This gives the user greater discriminating power and, with the use of icons and ‘click on’ features, makes the system user friendly when classifying and searching for shoes, thus reducing the possibility of interpretation error.     

Detection of acute fentanyl exposure in fresh and decomposed skeletal tissues part II: The effect of dose–death interval

The effects of dose–death interval on the detection of acute fentanyl exposure in fresh and decomposed skeletal tissues (marrow and bone), by automated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are described. Rats (n = 14) were administered fentanyl acutely at a dose of 0 (n = 2) or 60 μg/kg (n = 12) by intraperitoneal injection, and euthanized within 20, 45, 135, or 225 min. Femora and tibiae were extracted from the fresh corpses and marrow was isolated from the femoral and tibial medullary cavities. The remains were then allowed to decompose outdoors to the point of complete skeletonization, and vertebrae, pelvi and miscellaneous (humeri and scapulae) were recovered for analysis. In all cases, bones were cleaned in alkaline solution and then ground into a fine powder. Marrow was homogenized in alkaline solution. Fentanyl was extracted from ground bone by methanolic extraction. Extracts were adjusted to pH 6 and analyzed by ELISA. Perimortem heart blood was also collected and diluted in phosphate buffer prior to screening by ELISA. The effect of tissue type on ELISA response was examined through determination of binary classification test sensitivity and the relative decrease in absorbance (%DA, drug-positive tissues vs. drug-free controls) in each tissue type. Overall, the %DA varied significantly between extracts from different skeletal tissues at a given dose–death interval, according to the general order of marrow > decomposed bone > fresh bone. Binary classification test sensitivity values for fentanyl in marrow, fresh epiphyseal (femoral and tibial) bone, fresh diaphyseal (femoral and tibial) bone, decomposed vertebrae, decomposed pelvic bone, and decomposed miscellaneous bone were 67–100%, 0–33%, 0–33%, 0–67%, 0–67% and 0–33%, respectively, over all dose–death intervals. Although group mean %DA values showed a strong negative correlation with dose–death interval in marrow, fresh epiphyseal bone, decomposed vertebrae, pelvic and miscellaneous bone (r = ?0.989, ?0.930, ?0.955, ?0.903, and ?0.974, respectively), the high variability in both fresh and decomposed bone precluded differentiation of the dose–death intervals based on %DA value alone. Overall, the results suggested that the type of skeletal tissue sampled may not be as important as the amount of residual marrow remaining in skeletonized remains.     

Does free recall moderate the effect of mental context reinstatement instructions on children's cued recall?

Cognitive Interview instructions increase children's recall of events; one important instruction is the mental reinstatement of context. We examined one factor that may affect mental context reinstatement: whether children had the opportunity to freely recall the event before answering cued recall questions. One hundred and fifty-two children aged 6, 9, or 11 years were interviewed twice about a staged event. The event consisted of an argument between two adults about whose turn it was to show the children a film. One week after the event, some of the children received mental context reinstatement instructions before having their cued recall tested. Some children also received a free recall test immediately before the cued recall test. In the second interview, 2 weeks after the first interview, all children freely recalled the event. The results showed no effects of mental context reinstatement instructions and no moderating effect of free recall on children's cued recall. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

A meta-analysis of the correlates of turnover intent in criminal justice organizations: Does agency type matter?

Purpose

The study synthesizes the literature on turnover intentions to assess what domains (e.g., personal characteristics, work environment, and job attitudes) account for the strongest association with turnover intent, what are the characteristics of these relationships, and how do these relationships differ by criminal justice practitioner type.

Methods

The current study utilizes a systematic review to obtain studies for conducting a meta-analysis. The researchers utilized the r family/correlation coefficient. Studies were weighted by sample size, correlations converted to Fisher’s z, analyses performed, and results converted back to r for interpretation.

Results

In terms of the individual predictors for law enforcement, the five strongest variables included alternative job search behavior, job satisfaction, psychological distress, emotional exhaustion, procedural and distributive justice. The five strongest predictors of turnover intent for institutional corrections were normative commitment, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, affective commitment, and job satisfaction. The five strongest predictors for community corrections included experience, alternative job search behavior, perceptions of coworkers, growth need strength, and job satisfaction.

Conclusions

The results of the meta-analysis confirmed the domain of personal characteristics, overall, has the weakest association with turnover intent whereas work environment and job attitude domains consistently display moderate-to-large effects for both law enforcement and corrections.     

Who is ready to climb the hill? The effect of legislative activity on promotion to higher offices in Chile

Previous research suggests that bill initiation is a mechanism used by legislators to foster personal votes. This article puts forward a theory whereby legislative activity is understood as a form of party service. Bill initiation records are used by parties to inform their decisions on who is ready to be promoted. The theory is evaluated using an original data-set from the Chilean Chamber of Deputies. Our empirical findings make a strong case for the hypothesis according to which parties reward those deputies who have shown to be effective legislators.