Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empi ....Creating perceptual experts in Australia's policing and security agencies. This project aims to create the next generation of experts in Australia’s policing and national security agencies, by improving crime scene evidence interpretation. Agencies are under pressure to develop more rigorous training practices that go beyond mere intuition and tradition. This project will use a novel approach that directs learning toward the most diagnostic perceptual cues. Expected outcomes include a solid empirical basis for national training programs designed to create experts that are accurate, reliable, and continuously improving. Improving the training of experts will ensure the integrity of forensics as evidentiary tools available to police, lead to more reliable courtroom convictions and help safeguard Australia from terrorism and crime.Read moreRead less
A framework for adapting child interview protocols in complex cases. This project aims to develop–in collaboration with Aboriginal and other industry co-researchers–a ‘how to’ framework for effectively adapting standard child abuse interview protocols to accommodate the complexities that create barriers to disclosure. Complex cases necessitate interview adaption, but it requires systematic guidance and an interdisciplinary, practitioner-driven approach to be effective. This innovative framework ....A framework for adapting child interview protocols in complex cases. This project aims to develop–in collaboration with Aboriginal and other industry co-researchers–a ‘how to’ framework for effectively adapting standard child abuse interview protocols to accommodate the complexities that create barriers to disclosure. Complex cases necessitate interview adaption, but it requires systematic guidance and an interdisciplinary, practitioner-driven approach to be effective. This innovative framework is expected to have long-term benefits for services that support children’s well-being, through improvements in the quality of evidence underpinning decisions. By enhancing interviewer capability, there will also be fewer cases prematurely exiting the justice system before forensic interview or investigation.Read moreRead less
Determining elements that underpin learning of child-witness interviewing. This project aims to investigate the elements that underpin the learning of child witness interviewing skills. Preliminary indications from pioneering research suggest that positive change in interviewer behaviour is achievable. This project aims to extend that work on a larger scale. Expected outcomes include knowledge about the conditions under which skill acquisition is effective for different learners in disparate con ....Determining elements that underpin learning of child-witness interviewing. This project aims to investigate the elements that underpin the learning of child witness interviewing skills. Preliminary indications from pioneering research suggest that positive change in interviewer behaviour is achievable. This project aims to extend that work on a larger scale. Expected outcomes include knowledge about the conditions under which skill acquisition is effective for different learners in disparate contexts, and how skills can be maintained over the long term. The findings will guide the planning and implementation of interviewer training programs and contribute to improved interview quality and better justice outcomes for child complainants of abuse.Read moreRead less
A whole system approach to improving child witnesses' particularisation of sexual abuse offences. To promote the wellbeing of children, this research aims to improve prosecution rates for child abuse offences through increasing the evidentiary value of children’s statements. The project will provide the foundation for practical reform to the way evidence is elicited and the various justice system factors that impact children's evidence.
Who should join the suspect in a police photo array? The traditional police line-up often produces inaccurate decisions, with witnesses failing to pick the culprit or picking an innocent suspect. Surprisingly, despite all the scientific advances with respect to the collection of eyewitness evidence, there is absolutely no objective basis for selecting the ‘fillers’ to accompany the suspect in the line-up. Guidelines merely suggest the fillers should not be too similar or too dissimilar to the su ....Who should join the suspect in a police photo array? The traditional police line-up often produces inaccurate decisions, with witnesses failing to pick the culprit or picking an innocent suspect. Surprisingly, despite all the scientific advances with respect to the collection of eyewitness evidence, there is absolutely no objective basis for selecting the ‘fillers’ to accompany the suspect in the line-up. Guidelines merely suggest the fillers should not be too similar or too dissimilar to the suspect. However, the fillers are likely to have a crucial influence on decision accuracy. This project aims to remedy this striking deficiency by developing and testing a flexible and universally applicable methodology for photo array composition that will optimise judgmental discriminability and curtail bias.Read moreRead less
Countering misconceptions in child sexual assault cases with expert evidence and judicial directions. This project reduces miscarriages of justice by identifying topics about which jurors benefit from specialised knowledge by an expert witnesses and the best way to deliver that information so they are better equipped to appropriately assess the credibility of child victims and offenders and render verdicts in cases of child sexual assault.
A formal signal detection model of eyewitness identification. The project aims to aid in producing better procedures for the collection and assessment of eyewitness identification evidence. In a police line-up, a witness is asked to identify a perpetrator from a group of similar individuals. Applied research has focused on conditions that optimise witness performance but many of the conclusions from this research have been challenged on the basis that they use inappropriate measures of performan ....A formal signal detection model of eyewitness identification. The project aims to aid in producing better procedures for the collection and assessment of eyewitness identification evidence. In a police line-up, a witness is asked to identify a perpetrator from a group of similar individuals. Applied research has focused on conditions that optimise witness performance but many of the conclusions from this research have been challenged on the basis that they use inappropriate measures of performance. Recent work has highlighted the usefulness of analyses based on the theory of signal detection. However, the line-up task does not fit easily within standard signal detection paradigms as it combines two tasks; detection and identification. The project aims to understand how these components work in order to measure witness performance.Read moreRead less
Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time ....Improving the diagnosticity of eyewitness memory choices. Eyewitness identification error is common and costly. This project aims to improve the quality of information provided by eyewitnesses, and the ability of police officers and triers of fact (e.g., juries, judges) to evaluate this information. Laboratory investigations will determine how best to test memory and confidence to achieve this aim. A new class of cognitive models will provide a unified account of response accuracy, response time, and confidence, suitable for application to computerized testing scenarios. The models and testing methods validated in the laboratory will be refined for application in eyewitness memory settings, facilitating better evaluation of identification evidence, and potentially reducing wrongful convictions.Read moreRead less
Problematic interactions between autistic adults and the justice system. This project aims to highlight how autistic adults may fall foul of the law due to a diminished ability to recognise subtle cues in social interactions that should warn of unfolding criminal activity or deteriorating relationships with justice system personnel. Autism Spectrum Disorder has unique characteristics that may lead to unwitting involvement in crime and problematic interactions with the justice system. This projec ....Problematic interactions between autistic adults and the justice system. This project aims to highlight how autistic adults may fall foul of the law due to a diminished ability to recognise subtle cues in social interactions that should warn of unfolding criminal activity or deteriorating relationships with justice system personnel. Autism Spectrum Disorder has unique characteristics that may lead to unwitting involvement in crime and problematic interactions with the justice system. This project expects to unveil innovative research paradigms, establish a knowledge base for police and the courts, and assist in developing guidelines for remediating misunderstandings that contribute to problematic interactions with the justice system.Read moreRead less
Faces in context: A new ecological paradigm for person identification. Accurate face recognition is critical to normal social functioning of individuals and identity management processes that underpin a secure and fair Australia. Current understanding is based on tests that do not capture the rich context surrounding person identification in daily life. This project aims to introduce new methods for observing person identification in daily life and real-world tasks that are critical to border se ....Faces in context: A new ecological paradigm for person identification. Accurate face recognition is critical to normal social functioning of individuals and identity management processes that underpin a secure and fair Australia. Current understanding is based on tests that do not capture the rich context surrounding person identification in daily life. This project aims to introduce new methods for observing person identification in daily life and real-world tasks that are critical to border security, criminal investigations and the justice system. Expected outcomes include an integrated framework for person identification describing the cognitive mechanisms that link faces to surrounding visual context and the viewer’s background knowledge. Benefits in forensic, security and legal settings are expected.Read moreRead less