YUFE Academy: Confessing to a Crime you did not Commit

The Psychology of False Confessions

In this lecture, Dr Robert Horselenberg will explore the psychological processes that can contribute to false confessions. Drawing on real-life cases, he will explain how factors such as pressure during police questioning, tunnel vision, the so-called primacy effect, and a person’s physical and psychological condition can influence what happens during an interrogation.

How can these factors be better understood and addressed? And how can scientific insights contribute to fairer criminal trials in the future?

The lecture will be followed by a short interactive discussion.