1. How valued is eye witness testimony by members of the jury? Explain your belief about this question, then delve into the research on the topic. Was your perception accurate or not? What factors influence eye witness testimony?
2. Criminal law is intended to be black or white, right or wrong. There is little room for grey in the field. The general process is supposed to be a person commits a crime, police investigate the crime and compile evidence, arrest the guilty party, prosecutors are able to prove the person is guilty in a trial (interestingly, most cases end in plea agreements), and the guilty party is sentenced. The entire assumption of criminal law is the data on which prosecutors attempt to prove guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is sound. So, what happens when police interrogation results in a false confession? Research the chapter and other sources and discuss the changing field of police interrogations. What did this look like initially, how has police interrogation changed, and how do those changes mean the data collected by officers is more accurate?
3. Read the following article: and talk about how the findings may or may not influence confessions. What does other research or court rulings say about this topic?
4. Summarize and explain the gap between scientific and public understandings of climate change. Why are these gaps present?
5. To what extent do money and consumption buy happiness? And why do materialism and economic growth not bring enduringly greater satisfaction?
