Bruce D. Sales

Despite notable contributions in eyewitness identification and jury selection, most legal research done by psychologists has had a minimal impact upon law and public policy in the United States. In fact, much psycholegal research is marred by systemic flaws. In this carefully-reasoned and compelling text, Bruce D. Sales and Daniel A. Krauss explain how psychologists have failed to understand the law and the context in which it operates. Even subtle misunderstandings about the nature of courtroom testimony or the application of different legal statutes across different jurisdictions, they argue, can produce research that fails to examine real world phenomena. To combat this, the authors present a roadmap for how criminal justice and forensic researchers can use research to describe, explain, predict, and provide solutions for legal situations that can have a real impact on judges, juries, and the legal profession at large. Throughout, they demonstrate a dedication to the craft of scientific research that is sure to inspire a new and improved Psychology of Law for the twenty-first century.

This book reviews the scientific support for popular strategies that law professors, judges, and other trial commentators most commonly recommend for persuading juries. It first summarizes trial commentators amp rsquo recommendations, then reviews the scientific support for these recommendations, and finally evaluates the recommendations in light of the scientific support. Research is culled from not only trial and simulated trial settings, but also other social and behavioral settings. Topics include attorney demeanor, verbal and nonverbal communications, the attorney-client relationship, and storytelling (narrative techniques). This book will appeal to researchers in psychology, communications, linguistics, and other social sciences, as well as trial commentators and practicing attorneys.

In the past decade, dramatic shifts have taken place in the contexts in which research occurs. Changes in research questions, populations, methods, and society's norms have generated new ethical challenges for researchers. In response to these challenges, this book was written to help researchers understand the new world of ethics. Ethics in Research With Human Participants is an educational, advisory resource that promotes scientific rigor within an ethical context. Throughout, it emphasizes practical solutions to ethical problems. In addition to laying the moral foundations of research with human participants, the examples and analyses in this book will help researchers identify conflicts of interest, plan research, recruit participants, and maintain their trust and safety. The larger aspects of managing the research process are also covered, including training researchers, dealing with authorship and intellectual property issues, working with special populations, updating protocols for institutional review boards, and managing matters of informed consent, privacy, and confidentiality. This book is a must for keeping up with the ever-shifting lines of ethical boundaries.

Finding and using the appropriate legal materials can help social researchers design and execute their research more appropriately as well as assist mental health practitioners seeking answers to legal questions that their practice increasingly presents. Where can social researchers and mental health practitioners go to learn these techniques? Doing Legal Research will enable researchers and practitioners to develop a proficiency in using legal materials by describing how to use the law library to find, cite, and track cases; statutes passed by the state legislatures or Congress; legislative history of these statutes; and administrative rules, regulations, and decisions promulgated by state and federal administrative agencies (such as the Environmental Protection Agency). In addition, the book includes exercises that give readers an opportunity to go into the law library and test developing skills on genuine legal questions. After reading this book, researchers will not only have the skills that will ensure the legal relevance of their initial research question but also the ability to conduct their own evaluation of the legal materials.

Finding and using the appropriate legal materials can help social researchers design and execute their research more appropriately as well as assist mental health practitioners seeking answers to legal questions that their practice increasingly presents. Where can social researchers and mental health practitioners go to learn these techniques? Doing Legal Research will enable researchers and practitioners to develop a proficiency in using legal materials by describing how to use the law library to find, cite, and track cases; statutes passed by the state legislatures or Congress; legislative history of these statutes; and administrative rules, regulations, and decisions promulgated by state and federal administrative agencies (such as the Environmental Protection Agency). In addition, the book includes exercises that give readers an opportunity to go into the law library and test developing skills on genuine legal questions. After reading this book, researchers will not only have the skills that will ensure the legal relevance of their initial research question but also the ability to conduct their own evaluation of the legal materials.