Social Psychology and the Law

Research in psychological science, specifically social psychology, has challenged many of the law's assumptions about human behaviour. Traditionally, these challenges have focused on a fairly narrow range of legal processes involving courtroom evidence and decision making. Thus, social psychologists have examined problems and processes such as pre-trial publicity, interrogations and confessions, juror and jury decision making, and the like. In the related field of cognitive psychology, important contributions from research in memory regarding eyewitness testimony and eyewitness identification have led to greater scrutiny and occasionally expert testimony at trials. This article discusses findings from some of the traditional intersections of law and social psychology, many of which focus on courtroom processes and procedures. It also explores the ways in which more recent findings in social psychology inform debates about legal issues such as punishment, discrimination, morality, mens rea, and remorse, as well of out-of-court processes such as negotiation and dispute resolution.