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Forensic Psychology and Reality

Munsterberg also points out in his articles that eyewitness testimony is inherently unreliable. In one part of his book, he discusses how there are factors that can change a testimonies and force confessions out of innocent people. Munsterberg states that brutality is still a favorite method used by officials to undermine the mental resistance of those accused. He talks about some of the ways the police at that time made suspects confess to crimes they were not guilty of by threatening them in various ways.
             To be useful as experts in a courtroom, forensic psychologists must already know the court's expectations and how it functions. A man by the name of Albert von Schrenck-Notzig announced that pre-trial coverage in regards to court cases clutters the mind of a witness' memories which is due to their inability to separate their own thoughts with the reports given by the press. In 1896, Albert provided a testimony in court about a murder case and backed up his opinion with psychological research. In a court case in 1962 the federal court ruled that psychologists with the appropriate training were qualified to offer expert testimony on matters of mental disorder. Also, the federal court said that possession of a medical degree wasn't needed to make such a testimony. Therefore psychologists have become involved with legal decision-making since that time.
             Forensic psychology is a specialty area that is still relatively new. It was officially recognized by the American Psychological Association a few years ago. The American Psychology-Law Society, connected to the American Psychological Association, currently has about 3,000 members and the numbers still continue to increase. This society is made up of researchers and practitioners who work at the intersection of psychology and the law. It is a student-friendly organization that provides many resources and experiences for students that are interested in finding out more about the field of psychology and law.


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