Psychological characteristics of suspects interviewed at police stations: A factor-analytic study
- 1 December 1994
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Forensic Psychiatry
- Vol. 5 (3) , 517-525
- https://doi.org/10.1080/09585189408410845
Abstract
In the present study an exploratory factor analysis was performed on some psychological characteristics of 156 suspects detained at two police stations in the south-east of England. The detainees had been assessed psychologically shortly before they were interviewed by the police. Four factors emerged: (1) mental health, (2) memory and suggestibility, (3) previous criminality and (4) literacy and IQ. There was little overlap of item loadings on the first three factors, which indicates that some of the psychological characteristics of suspects detained at police stations may not be as clearly linked as is sometimes assumed.Keywords
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interrogative suggestibility: Its relationship with assertiveness, social‐evaluative anxiety, state anxiety and method of copingBritish Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1988
- A parallel form of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility ScaleBritish Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1987
- A new scale of interrogative suggestibilityPersonality and Individual Differences, 1984
- Suggestibility, Intelligence, Memory Recall and Personality: An Experimental StudyThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1983