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Current Issues in Developmental Psychology and the Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 October 2015

Kay Bussey ,
Margaret S. Steward ,
Margaret-Ellen Pipe ,
Candida C. Peterson  and
Jeanette Lawrence
Kay Bussey*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University
Margaret S. Steward
Affiliation:
University of California, Davis
Margaret-Ellen Pipe
Affiliation:
University of Otago
Candida C. Peterson
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Jeanette Lawrence
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
*
School of Behavioral Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109
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Abstract

Legal applications of developmental psychology are an increasingly important research topic. A symposium examined children as witnesses, offenders, and participants in the legal process. Children's reporting of events is affected by long delays, interview format, and motivational factors, and their understanding of the meaning of truth develops prior to their definition of lying. The fairness of the law and its processes shows developmental changes in perceived justice. The process of sentencing shows that extralagl factors such as offender age, gender, and employment status affects the penalties imposed by magistrates.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , November 1992 , pp. 2 - 11
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society 1992

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References

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