http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/2245628

Legal psychology

The author has long been interested in legal psychology and more recent interest has centered around a university course in this subject. The author has likewise from time to time been involved in research on problems of testimony or crime detection, has conducted experiments and rendered expert testimony in litigation about trade names and has had some experience in conducting psychological examinations in connection with the probation office of a municipal court. It seemed worthwhile to formulate these experiences in a systematic fashion. Perhaps the initial motive was the need for a textbook for the aforementioned university course. Subsequently, however, the conviction developed that there was a much larger field for such a work among the members of the legal profession. As scientific principles are established, the law gradually takes cognizance of them. It is felt that the science of psychology has developed a very considerable number of principles bearing on legal problems that are worth presenting. Consequently this book keeps in mind both the student with a psychological background and the lawyer who has perhaps no formal psychological training. An effort is made to keep the work sufficiently non-technical or to provide appropriate supplementary explanation. Conventional terminology is sometimes used in the interest of clarity for the reader without a technical background. The psychological reader will observe that the point of view taken in this text is somewhat eclectic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).

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