Elasticity in evaluations of criminal evidence: Exploring the role of cognitive dissonance

Purpose. Previous experiments have demonstrated asymmetrical scepticism in investigators' judgments of criminal evidence – evidence inconsistent (vs. consistent) with the dominant hypothesis about a case is judged as less reliable. In addition, some types of evidence (e.g., witness testimony) are more susceptible to asymmetrical scepticism than others (e.g., DNA evidence), indicating varying degrees of elasticity. This article proposes that inconsistent evidence arouses cognitive dissonance, and that the dissonance can be reduced through either asymmetrical scepticism (for high‐elasticity evidence) or belief change (for low‐elasticity evidence). The hypotheses are tested in two experiments. Methods. In both experiments, law students made a preliminary judgment about the guilt of a suspect in a homicide case, and subsequently received a piece of DNA or witness evidence which was either consistent or inconsistent with the preliminary judgment. The extent to which participants changed their guilt judgments, judged the additional evidence as reliable, and felt dissonance served as the main dependent variables. Results. Inconsistent (vs. consistent) evidence did arouse stronger dissonance, but only for witness (and not DNA) evidence. Experienced dissonance (Experiment 1) and dissonance reduction (Experiment 2) accounted for the effect of the evidence on changes in guilt judgments, but not for the effect on reliability judgments. The greatest dissonance reduction was observed among participants who received inconsistent witness evidence but did not change their guilt judgments accordingly. Conclusions. It appears that dissonance plays a significant, although complex, role in investigative judgments of guilt and reliability. Alternative dissonance‐reducing mechanisms that can account for the findings and practical implications are discussed.     

突出特色，彰显优势，完善机制 切实推进党校精神文明创建

党校作为党委的重要工作部门和特殊的学校,文明创建有着自身的规律。围绕干部教育培训工作,以创建文明和谐党校为目标,突出教学培训特色,完善工作机制,着力提高学习力增强执行力,逐步形成了具有武汉市委党校自身特色和优势的文明创建路子。那就是：注重教学和培训特色,着力提升教学培训质量。完善和优化教学布局,进一步彰显党校培训特色。创新教学形式,满足学员个性化需求。拓宽培训领域,努力发挥干部培训主渠道、主阵地作用。倡导工作化学习和学习化工作,不断推进学习型组织建设,营造文明和谐校园文化,提高学习力,增强执行力。坚持实施人才强校战略,完善导向和激励机制,着力构建一支素质优良、结构合理、专兼结合师资队伍。不断加强教职工队伍建设。立足党校职能作用,围绕前沿问题开展学习研究,着力提高科研咨询水平。紧贴武汉市情,努力发挥在党委和政府决策中的思想库作用。完善科研管理机制,激励教研人员“想出成果、多出成果、出好成果”。     

危险驾驶罪若干问题探析——对《刑法修正案(八)》第22条的解读与展望

《刑法修正案(八)》第22条规定的危险驾驶罪在性质上属于抽象危险犯,该罪的主观方面是故意,客观方面的行为包括追逐竞驶和醉酒驾驶。危险驾驶行为的认定不仅涉及文义解释,还涉及到"情节恶劣"和醉酒状态的认定问题。作为抽象危险犯,该罪也可能存在预备、未遂和中止形态,但从刑法的谦抑性考虑,对其预备、未遂和中止形态应不予刑事处罚。该罪不仅存在共同犯罪问题,还与交通肇事罪和以危险方法危害公共安全罪相关,在司法实践中需予以仔细分析。     

论普选对香港特区政府的影响

即将实行的香港普选,既符合人民主权原则,也使特区政府面临中央和民众的"双重问责"。一方面,当行政决策的地方主体性被加强的同时,特区政府必须处理好与中央意志的平衡问题;另一方面,普选将推动政党、压力团体和民众的广泛政治参与,通过监督决策过程和效果,促使政务公开和透明,使特区政府更加民主和谨慎决策。     

翁文灏与抗战期间的西南大开发

被毛泽东称为"有爱国心的国民党军政人员"的翁文灏,不仅是我国现代地质学的奠基人,而且对中国大西南的开发作出过重大的贡献.当抗战形势需要对大西南进行开发时,翁文灏临危受命,作出组织工矿企业内迁的决策,并领导了这次大迁移.翁文灏主持的资委会开发西南,为抗战胜利作出了很大贡献,给西南引入了先进的管理经验和技术人才,对西南部地区的发展有着积极的意义.     

Postmortem Measurement of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Vitreous Humor and Bile

Abstract: Postmortem human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) blood assay can confirm postmortem diagnosis of pregnancy or document situations in which HCG levels are elevated. In some cases, however, blood sampling is not possible at autopsy. In this study, HCG was quantified by enzyme‐linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) in the bile (n = 5), vitreous humor (n = 4), and postmortem blood (n = 4) of five pregnant women. There were no false negatives in the pregnant subjects (n = 5) or false positives in controls (n = 34), enabling this test to be recommended for routine use in forensic contexts in which the detection of elevated HCG levels could be of interest.     

Suicide by skull stab wounds: a case of drug-induced psychosis

Suicide by stabbing to the head and/or driving sharp objects into the skull is of extreme rarity. This article reports the case of a 27-year-old man, who committed suicide by multiple knife stabs and cuts to the head, the torso, one shoulder and the forearms. Autopsy showed a perforating wound of the skull and the 10-cm long broken blade of the knife being still embedded in the right temporal lobe of the brain. The deceased had no history of psychiatric illness but was currently treated by mefloquine, a quinine derivative associated with a high rate of psychiatric adverse effects. Toxicological examination confirmed a recent intake of mefloquine together with chloroquine, another antimalarial drug. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a completed suicide with very strong evidence of mefloquine implication. Discussion focuses upon mefloquine-induced psychiatric disorders and highlights the importance of performing toxicological investigations in cases of unusual suicides.     

Scanning electron microscopy analysis of experimental bone hacking trauma of the mandible

The authors report on a macroscopic and microscopic study of human mandible bone lesions achieved by a single-blade knife and a hatchet. The aim of this work was to complete the previous data (scanning electron microscopy analysis of bone lesions made by a single-blade knife and a hatchet, on human femurs) and to compare the lesions of the femur with those of the mandible. The results indicate that the mandible is a more fragile bone, but the features observed on the mandible are quite similar to those previously observed on the femur. This work spells out the main scanning electron microscopy characteristics of sharp (bone cutting) and blunt (exerting a pressure on the bone) mechanisms on human bone. Weapon characteristics serve to explain all of these features.     

Spanish legislation against trafficking in human beings: punitive excess and poor victims assistance

The article seeks to provide a perspective of human trafficking as one of the fastest growing criminal activities of the last few years in the area of organised crime and one that affects human beings’ most basic rights. In the main, the response to the problem has been its criminal prosecution, but without tackling the issues of need that underlie this conduct and which the traffickers take advantage of to abuse, assail and exploit the people they traffic. In this context, the evolution of Spanish legislation in terms of the criminalisation of this problem has made it one of the most repressive, although there is no clear evidence of its effectiveness. This punishment, which covers a wide range of criminal conducts, has not however been accompanied by any policies to support and integrate the victims of trafficking, which has led to a large number of victims being subjected to slavery who, in the majority of cases, fall under the control of the trafficking networks again.     

Who are Chinese Citizens? A Legislative Language Inquiry

By exploring the meaning construction of Chinese citizenship stipulated in Chinese legislation and its interaction with social identities and human nature in the Chinese society, the present study investigates the nature and evolution of the conception of Chinese citizens through three selected cases from Chinese legislations, which illuminate that Chinese citizens are essentially persons with independent personalities defined by the rights and obligations stipulated in legislation. This conception is further strengthened by the entitlement to private properties and equality before law. This conception of Chinese citizenship is concrete and meaningful in the sense that it is underpinned with reference to social identities as person, people and personality in Chinese legislations. The reference of the conception to human being constitutes the essence of Chinese legislation. The meaning construction of Chinese citizenship is indeed a dynamic process engineered in the social and cultural process. The findings on the evolution of the construction of Chinese citizenship in Chinese legislation suggest that the formation of legal identity through legislation varies greatly in different countries. Nevertheless, the realization of the conception of citizenship will necessarily be backed up by social identities as person, people and personality, which will be further strengthened and expanded by the legitimating of private properties and equality before law. Citizenship is achieved by social participants through mediation engineered within the social and cultural process.