Putting Cognitive Science to Work in the Legal System: An Evidence Based Approach to Testimony Evaluation and Beyond

将认知科学应用于法律体系：证词评估及其他方面的循证方法

• 批准号: MR/T02027X/1
• 负责人: Rebecca Helm
• 金额: $ 120.42万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FT02027X%2F1
• 关键词: Putting; Cognitive; Science; Work; Legal

This programme of research will focus on using methods from law, psychology, and neuroscience to examine how the credibility, accuracy, and overall reliability of eye-witness accounts are assessed in the criminal justice system, and to design new practice and procedure to enhance the accuracy of such evaluations. The research will examine decisions of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and lay decision-makers (jurors) and will be conducted in collaboration with practitioner partners. As part of this research a new "Cognitive Science and Empirical Law" laboratory will be created in collaboration with the Centre for Criminal Appeals, to promote the integration of cognitive science into legal practice more generally. This has the potential to transform the administration of justice by replacing old and outdated traditions with evidence-based practice and procedure. The first stage of the research will examine how laypeople and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) evaluate the testimony of others in the current system, and where such evaluations are likely to agree or disagree with assessments based on scientific evidence. Research will include (i) identifying common assumptions that are made by jury-eligible adults and the CCRC when evaluating testimony, and the extent to which these assumptions are consistent scientific understanding, (ii) using psychological theory and experimental research to identify situations in which assessments of witness accounts are likely to be based on misunderstandings or failure to incorporate relevant information into decision-making, and (iii) using tools from psychology and neuroscience to examine the cognition underlying assessments of testimony and how certain assumptions or biases may be associated with underlying neural mechanisms. The second stage of the research will assess current practice and procedure, and formulate recommendations for practice and procedure based on findings from the first stage of the research and relevant psychological theory. Importantly, research suggests that informing decision-makers of relevant science may not be sufficient to improve the effectiveness of their evaluations, and more nuanced interventions are likely to be needed. All interventions will be designed in consultation with current legal practitioners and tested in mock trials. This distinguishes the work from much existing research in psychology and law, which has not combined in-depth examination of memory and decision-making with the design of improved legal procedure and has been incorporated into the legal system in ways that are not proven to have desired effects (e.g. through judicial warnings). The final stage of the research programme will focus on integrating my findings into current legal practice in order to have a direct impact. This will include working with practitioners, designing legal arguments, and utilizing statistical techniques such as network analyses to identify the interventions that are likely to be most effective. A "Cognitive Science and Empirical Law" laboratory will be created in order to facilitate this research and also to promote the integration of cognitive science and empirical law into legal practice more generally. This laboratory will conduct independent research, and will also work in collaboration with the Centre for Criminal Appeals to conduct research that will directly benefit current casework. Trained student research assistants will assist with research in the laboratory. This will serve to facilitate the integration of science and the law in future scientists and legal practitioners.

该研究计划将侧重于使用法律，心理学和神经科学的方法，以研究如何在刑事司法系统中评估目击者账户的可信度，准确性和整体可靠性，并设计新的实践和程序，以提高此类评估的准确性。该研究将审查刑事案件审查委员会（CCRC）和非专业决策者（陪审员）的决定，并将与从业者合作伙伴合作进行。作为这项研究的一部分，将与刑事上诉中心合作建立一个新的“认知科学和经验法”实验室，以促进认知科学更普遍地融入法律的实践。这有可能通过以循证做法和程序取代陈旧过时的传统来改变司法。研究的第一阶段将研究外行和刑事案件审查委员会（CCRC）如何评估当前系统中其他人的证词，以及这些评估可能与基于科学证据的评估一致或不一致。研究将包括（一）确定陪审团合格的成年人和CCRC在评估证词时所做的共同假设，以及这些假设与科学理解一致的程度，（二）使用心理学理论和实验研究来确定对证人陈述的评估可能基于误解或未能将相关信息纳入决策的情况，以及（iii）使用心理学和神经科学的工具来检查证词评估的认知基础，以及某些假设或偏见如何与潜在的神经机制相关联。研究的第二阶段将评估目前的做法和程序，并根据研究第一阶段的结果和相关的心理学理论，制定实践和程序的建议。重要的是，研究表明，向决策者提供相关科学信息可能不足以提高其评估的有效性，可能需要更细致入微的干预措施。所有干预措施都将与当前的法律的从业人员协商设计，并在模拟审判中进行测试。这一点将这项工作与心理学和法律领域的许多现有研究区分开来，后者没有将对记忆和决策的深入研究与改进法律的程序的设计结合起来，而是以未被证明具有预期效果的方式（例如通过司法警告）纳入法律的体系。研究计划的最后阶段将侧重于将我的研究结果融入当前的法律的实践，以便产生直接影响。这将包括与从业者合作、设计法律的论据以及利用网络分析等统计技术来确定可能最有效的干预措施。将建立一个“认知科学和经验法”实验室，以便利这项研究，并促进认知科学和经验法更普遍地融入法律的实践。该实验室将进行独立研究，并将与刑事上诉中心合作进行直接有利于当前案件工作的研究。经过培训的学生研究助理将协助实验室的研究。这将有助于在未来的科学家和法律的从业人员中促进科学与法律的结合。

项目成果

Guilty Plea Decisions: Moving Beyond the Autonomy Myth

认罪决定：超越自治神话

• DOI: 10.1111/1468-2230.12676
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: The Modern Law Review
• 作者: Helm R

Prevalence estimates as priors: Juror characteristics, perceived base rates, and verdicts in cases reliant on complainant and defendant testimony

先验的患病率估计：陪审员特征、感知基本率以及依赖原告和被告证词的案件的判决

• DOI: 10.1002/acp.3978
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Applied Cognitive Psychology
• 影响因子: 2.4
• 作者: Helm R

Wrongful Conviction in England and Wales: An Assessment of Successful Appeals and Key Contributors

英格兰和威尔士的错误定罪：对成功上诉和主要贡献者的评估

• DOI: 10.29173/wclawr79
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: The Wrongful Conviction Law Review
• 作者: Helm R

Regulatory Responses to 'Fake News' and Freedom of Expression: Normative and Empirical Evaluation

• DOI: 10.1093/hrlr/ngaa060
• 发表时间: 2021-02-08
• 期刊: HUMAN RIGHTS LAW REVIEW
• 影响因子: 1.5
• 作者: Helm, Rebecca K.;Nasu, Hitoshi
• 通讯作者: Nasu, Hitoshi

Predicting and projecting memory: Error and bias in metacognitive judgements underlying testimony evaluation

预测和投射记忆：证词评估中元认知判断的错误和偏见

• DOI: 10.1111/lcrp.12232
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Legal and Criminological Psychology
• 影响因子: 2.3
• 作者: Helm R