“…The analysis of verbal content however is a more reliable and valid approach to differentiate true from fabricated statements ( Volbert and Steller, 2014 ; Vrij, 2014 ; Amado et al, 2015 , 2016 ; Oberlader et al, 2016 , 2020 ). Verbal content analysis examines a statement regarding a specific event for particular content criteria ( Volbert and Steller, 2023 ). One of the most prominent tools of verbal content analysis is the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), which builds on the finding that experience-based statements contain more individual details than fabricated accounts.…”
Verbal content analyses to differentiate truthful and fabricated statements, such as the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), are used in lie detection research as well as in practice to assess the credibility of statements in criminal court proceedings. Meta-analyses demonstrate validity of verbal content analyses above chance, but the traditional research paradigms usually lack either ecological or internal validity. The authors discuss the usage of immersive virtual reality scenarios to solve this dilemma, as both types of validity can be increased by this approach. In this integrative review of existing literature on the current use of virtual scenarios in forensic and victimology research, the authors extract strengths and limitations for possible VR studies in the context of verbal content analysis. Furthermore, novel ethical challenges involved are summarized and implications for future studies proposed. Overall, we argue in favor of using virtual reality scenarios to validate methods for verbal content analysis, but also urge to consider ethical limitations regarding unwanted short- and long-term aftereffects.
“…The analysis of verbal content however is a more reliable and valid approach to differentiate true from fabricated statements ( Volbert and Steller, 2014 ; Vrij, 2014 ; Amado et al, 2015 , 2016 ; Oberlader et al, 2016 , 2020 ). Verbal content analysis examines a statement regarding a specific event for particular content criteria ( Volbert and Steller, 2023 ). One of the most prominent tools of verbal content analysis is the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), which builds on the finding that experience-based statements contain more individual details than fabricated accounts.…”
Verbal content analyses to differentiate truthful and fabricated statements, such as the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), are used in lie detection research as well as in practice to assess the credibility of statements in criminal court proceedings. Meta-analyses demonstrate validity of verbal content analyses above chance, but the traditional research paradigms usually lack either ecological or internal validity. The authors discuss the usage of immersive virtual reality scenarios to solve this dilemma, as both types of validity can be increased by this approach. In this integrative review of existing literature on the current use of virtual scenarios in forensic and victimology research, the authors extract strengths and limitations for possible VR studies in the context of verbal content analysis. Furthermore, novel ethical challenges involved are summarized and implications for future studies proposed. Overall, we argue in favor of using virtual reality scenarios to validate methods for verbal content analysis, but also urge to consider ethical limitations regarding unwanted short- and long-term aftereffects.
In the past, empirical research findings from psychosciences contributed to avoiding erroneous judgments and decisions in criminal proceedings. However, for some time now, developments have arisen that threaten to reverse the achievement at the turn of the millennium that introduced a clear scientific orientation into sex offense proceedings. This article highlights five retrograde developments and uses three examples to illustrate how these developments can interact and, in particular, offer a purported explanation for a lack of memory of experienced abuse. This creates a breeding ground for the formation of false memories that cause suffering in both psychotherapy and criminal proceedings, and it significantly increases the risk of erroneous decisions in criminal proceedings on sex offenses in German-speaking countries.
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