Alibi Generation: Data from U.S. Hispanics and U.S. Non-Hispanic Whites

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that mock jurors are skeptical of alibi witnesses who are related to or even have a close social relationship with a defendant. The present project tested respondents' ability to recall their whereabouts for a particular date and time. It also provided the first descriptive data on a variety of alibi topics. The majority of individuals claimed to have an alibi witness for a given time and the majority of alibi witnesses were friends or family members. Hispanic participants relied more heavily on family to serve in an alibi witness capacity whereas non-Hispanic Whites relied more heavily on friends.

The Verifiability Approach to detection of malingered physical symptoms

“…The most popular way of bluffing observed in the current research was claiming that another person could confirm the account, most frequently a person closely related to the malingerer (e.g. parents, boyfriend, flatmate) (see also Culhane et al, 2008). Actually, mentioning close people as witnesses is a clever strategy because the majority of people are willing to corroborate a statement of a close friend or relative in order to help that person (Hosch, Culhane, Tubb, & Granillo, 2011).…”

“…The possible answers were 'Yes', 'Maybe', and 'No'. Perhaps the easiest way of bluffing is to confabulate about a person who can confirm the story (Culhane, Hosch, & Kehn, 2008). In this context, this might be a person who the individual claims has witnessed them experiencing the symptoms or who they have told about their symptoms.…”

Generation and Detection of True and False Alibi Statements

“…The authors combined the two alibi components of alibi witnesses and physical alibi evidence to create a grid for evaluating alibi believability based upon its strength. Culhane, Hosch, and Kehn (2008) have examined differences in the generation of alibi statements by distinct cultural groups and examined the extent to which each could provide alibi witnesses and physical evidence to support alibis. Their research asked participants to provide an honest alibi for 9.00 p.m. two days earlier.…”

Visuospatial counter‐interrogation strategies by liars familiar with the alibi setting

“…As it is common for liars to provide information about events they have experienced (Culhane, Hosch, & Kehn, 2008;Leins, Fisher, & Ross, 2013), they would want to familiarise themselves with the alibi setting to be able to demonstrate they were at the setting when the the current study examines cases in which suspects provide an alibi for a location they visited only on the date the crime occurred.…”

“…As it is common for liars to provide information about events they have experienced (Culhane, Hosch, & Kehn, 2008;Leins, Fisher, & Ross, 2013), they would want to familiarise themselves with the alibi setting to be able to demonstrate they were at the setting when the crime occurred. Previous familiarity studies have only examined the statements of liars who were either well familiar or not familiar at all with the reported event (Blandón-Gitlin et al, 2005;Knieps et al, 2014).…”