Purpose Although inconsistencies undermine the credibility of evidence from a witness or victim, anecdotal evidence from many court cases suggests that they do not reduce the impact of confession evidence. This research provides the first empirical test of this idea by experimentally manipulating the consistency of confession evidence. Drawing on principles from attribution theory, we hypothesized that inconsistencies would undermine the credibility of confession evidence only when there was a salient, plausible alternative explanation (other than guilt) for why the defendant confessed. Methods In two experiments (total N = 245), participants were presented with information about a crime, including a confession statement, and asked to act as jurors in a courtroom case. As well as manipulating whether the confession was consistent or inconsistent with verifiable facts of the crime, we manipulated whether there was a salient alternative explanation for the confession: specifically, the presence of coercion () or the desire to protect another suspect (). Results Inconsistencies influenced participants' verdicts regardless of whether an alternative explanation was made salient, such that inconsistent confessions resulted in fewer guilty verdicts than consistent confessions. Additional mediation analysis of the data from suggested that these effects occurred, in part, because the presence of inconsistencies prompted participants to generate alternative explanations for why the defendant confessed (regardless of whether such explanations were salient in the available evidence). Conclusions Contrary to the existing literature, these results indicate that inconsistencies can undermine the credibility of confession evidence.

CareSearch is an Australian Government Department of Health funded repository of evidence-based palliative care information and resources. The CareSearch Allied Health Hub was developed in 2013 to support all allied health professionals working with palliative care clients in all clinical settings. This cross-sectional online survey sought to elicit allied health professionals palliative care experiences and subsequent considerations for educational and clinical practice needs. The survey was disseminated nationally via a range of organisations. Data was collected about palliative care knowledge, experience working with palliative care clients and professional development needs. Data were evaluated by profession, experience and practice setting. In total, 217 respondents answered one or more survey questions (94%). Respondents (65%) reported seeing >15 palliative care clients per month with 84% seen in hospital and community settings. Undergraduate education underprepared or partially prepared allied health professionals to work with these clients (96%) and 67% identified the need for further education. Access to postgraduate professional development was limited by available backfill and funding. Study findings support the importance of free, accessible, relevant educational and professional development resources to support clinical practice. This is particularly relevant for allied health professionals who have limited opportunities to attend formal professional development sessions.