On the Witness Stand : Controversies in the Courtroom

In a trial, whether it be criminal or civil, evidence can only be introduced through exhibits or the testimony of witnesses. In recent years, psychologists and other social scientists have begun to empirically evaluate questions such as: What is the impact of the testimony of eyewitnesses in the court decisions? Should hypnosis be used with crime witnesses? Is the polygraph an accurate device in determining the guilt or innocence of a suspect? This book is a carefully selected collection of articles reprinted from psychological journals relevant to the above questions. It is divided into five sections, each on a different aspect of witnesses' testimony. Each section contains three reprinted articles, plus an introduction and summary written by the volume editors to place the articles in context and provide conclusions and recommendations. On the Witness Stand will be of interest to students, teachers and researchers in the social sciences and law and also to barristers and lawyers.Wrightsman, Lawrence S. is the author of 'On the Witness Stand : Controversies in the Courtroom' with ISBN 9780608097893 and ISBN 0608097896.