Measuring interrogative suggestibility in children: Reliability and validity of the bonn test of statement suggestibility |
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| Authors: | Robert Horselenberg Harald Merckelbach Tom Smeets Dirk Franssens Gjalt-Jorn Ygram Peters Gwenny Zeles |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Psychology , Open University Heerlen , The Netherlands;2. Department of Experimental Psychology , Maastricht University , The Netherlands Robert.Horselenberg@OU.NL;4. Department of Experimental Psychology , Maastricht University , The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Abstract The present paper describes three studies that examined false confessions in the laboratory. Studies 1 (N=56) and 2 (N=9) relied on the by now classic computer crash paradigm introduced by Kassin and Kiechel (Psychological Science, 7, 125–128, 1996). Study 3 (N=12) employed a novel paradigm in which undergraduate participants were falsely accused of exam fraud. Our data indicate that false confessions do occur, even when conditions become more ecologically valid. Furthermore, we explored whether individual differences in compliance, suggestibility, fantasy proneness, dissociation, and cognitive failures are related to false confessions. Of these, only fantasy proneness was associated with false confessions. |
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| Keywords: | False confessions individual differences fantasy proneness |
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