Amelia MindthoffIowa State University | ISU · Department of Psychology
Amelia Mindthoff
PhD
About
26
Publications
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Introduction
Amelia Mindthoff is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University. Dr. Mindthoff conducts research in Experimental Psychology and Legal Psychology (Psychology and Law). Her studies primarily examine evidence-based investigative interviewing methods and juror perceptions of investigative practices.
Additional affiliations
November 2020 - present
August 2020 - May 2021
August 2015 - July 2020
Education
August 2015 - July 2020
August 2013 - May 2015
September 2008 - June 2012
Publications
Publications (26)
Confessions represent one of the most influential types of evidence, and research has shown that mock jurors often fail to dismiss unreliable confession evidence. However, recent studies suggest that jurors might believe in the false confession phenomenon more than they once did. One possible reason for this could be increased publicity regarding f...
Rationale
It is not uncommon for police to question alcohol-intoxicated witnesses and suspects; yet, the full extent to which intoxication impacts individuals’ suggestibility in the investigative interviewing context remains unclear.
Objective
The present study sought to measure the effect of alcohol-intoxication on interviewee suggestibility by i...
Investigative interviews are an essential tool for any criminal investigation and are conducted across a variety of contexts and subject populations. In each context, key psychological processes function to regulate communication between an interviewer and a subject – from developing rapport and trust, to facilitating memory retrieval, to assessing...
Interviewing and interrogation practices have evolved over the past century. “Third degree” methods of physical and psychological coercion were replaced by psychologically-manipulative tactics that seek a confession; however, it was not until instances of false confession that led to wrongful conviction came to light that investigative interviewing...
Objective:
Law enforcement officers often encounter alcohol-intoxicated suspects, suggesting that many suspects are presented with the challenge of grasping the meaning and significance of their Miranda rights while intoxicated. Such comprehension is crucial, given that Miranda is intended to minimize the likelihood of coercive interrogations resu...
Research has demonstrated that psychologically-coercive tactics can increase the risk of false confessions. Given that jurors are decision-makers in our criminal justice system, it is essential to understand how they perceive such interrogation tactics and if certain juror demographics relate to these perceptions. The present study therefore focuse...
Objective:
Interested adults, such as parents and attorneys, may pose as safeguards against juveniles' vulnerabilities during custodial interrogations; yet, the trial-level ramifications of their presence are unknown. The current research examined mock jurors' perceptions and case decisions after they read about disputed juvenile confession eviden...
Alcohol-intoxicated suspects’ confessions are admissible in U.S. courts; however, it is unknown how jurors evaluate such confessions. Study 1 assessed potential jurors’ perceptions of intoxication in interrogative contexts. Many respondents were unaware that questioning intoxicated suspects and presenting subsequent confessions in court are legal,...
Police commonly interview intoxicated suspects. This is concerning because intoxication often leads to a higher risk for impulsive decision-making, and reduces inhibition and consideration of the future. However, the manner in which intoxication affects people’s reporting of unethical or criminal actions carried out by themselves or others is unkno...
Police commonly interact with intoxicated suspects; however, little is known regarding intoxicated suspects’ ability to understand and apply their Miranda rights. In the present study, laboratory participants were randomly assigned to alcohol, placebo, or control
drinking conditions. Participants’ Miranda comprehension was analyzed using the Mirand...
Confession evidence is exceptionally strong (e.g., Kassin & Neumann, 1997); thus, understanding whether juror characteristics influence their perceptions of confession evidence is crucial to legal players’ trial strategies. Several past studies have found no significant correlations between certain juror demographics/personal beliefs (e.g., race/et...
Objectives: Many victims, witnesses, and suspects are intoxicated at the time of the crime and during the initial investigation. For example, over 80% of a U.S. law enforcement sample reported that contact with intoxicated suspects was common (Evans et al., 2009). In the U.S., intoxicated suspects are routinely interrogated using similar techniques...
Introduction: Police often use handheld breathalyzers to make preliminary estimations of victims and suspect’s intoxication level. These initial measurements are often not valid as evidence in court. However, it is not always feasible for the officers to take the person to the police station and use a benchtop instrument for assessment. Aim: This s...
Although it is well known that exposure to misinformation after an event can alter memory, less known are the effects of being presented with different amounts of misinformation. The present study examined (a) how exposure to different amounts of misinformation affects memory, (b) how sensitively individuals monitor the accuracy of a (mis)informati...
This study examined the reliability between two handheld BACtrack S80 Pro Breathalyzers and the benchtop instrument Intoxilyzer 5000. The latter instrument was calibrated every day and is on the Department of Transportation’s Conforming Products List of Evidential Breath Alcohol Measurement Devices. Four different BAC readings were taken from 60 in...
Many witnesses and victims are intoxicated, but few studies have examined how alcohol affects eyewitness memory. The present study compared the effects of different interview approaches on intoxicated witnesses’ recall of an interactive event. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition within a 3 (Intoxication level: sober vs. placebo vs. i...
Many witnesses and victims are intoxicated, but few studies have examined how alcohol affects memory. The present study compared the effects of different interview approaches on intoxicated witnesses’ recall of an interactive event. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition within a 3 (Intoxication level: sober vs. placebo vs. intoxicated)...
Intoxicated witnesses and suspects in the U.S. are routinely questioned by law enforcement yet little is known about the effects of intoxication in legal contexts. The sparse research on the effect of intoxication on suggestibility is mixed. The current study will attempt to help clarify these mixed findings. Intoxicated, placebo, and control parti...
How common is body dissatisfaction? This article examines the epidemiology of body dissatisfaction by first reviewing meta-analyses and summaries of group differences in body dissatisfaction according to gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age cohort, and body mass index. The article then turns to large-scale magazine, Internet, university, and...
Projects
Projects (3)
To examine how jurors weigh various types of confession evidence and perceive the interrogations that elicited such confessions.
The jury is often praised as an important symbol of American democracy. Yet, much has changed since 1791 when the Sixth Amendment first guaranteed all citizens the right to a jury trial in criminal prosecutions. This volume explores the mismatch between criminal trial law and policy and what research reveals are the psychological implications of evolving societal attitudes, advances in technology, and the human experience of serving as a juror. Readers will contemplate myriad legal issues that arise when jurors decide criminal cases as well as cutting-edge psychological research that can be used to not only understand the performance and experience of the contemporary criminal jury, but also improve it. The chapters grapple with a number of key issues at the intersection of psychology and law, guiding readers to consider everything from the factors that influence the initial selection of the jury to how jurors cope with and reflect on their service after the trial ends. Altogether, the editors provide a unique view of criminal juries with the goal of increasing awareness about a broad range of current issues in great need of theoretical, empirical, and legal attention. The overarching premise of this volume is to identify how social science research can inform law and policy relevant to improving justice within the jury system. This book is ideal for those who directly study jury decision making as well as social scientists generally, attorneys, judges, students, and all future jurors.
To examine how intoxicated suspects behave during interrogations. Laboratory study at the Department of Psychology, Florida International University.
