Introduction

This book is based on the substantial influence of Dr. Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Jr. It is a means to honor his many contributions to the field of psychology and law and allow for current scholars to demonstrate the significance (both theoretical and professional) of an outstanding researcher, teacher, colleague, and friend. By virtue of his conducting research on so many of the core topics in the discipline, the book provides an overview of the current status of the field of psychology and law and places the contributions of Lawrence S. Wrightsman within that field. This book is meant to highlight the contributions of Lawrence S. Wrightsman and is designed to stand alone as an integrated digest of the various ways in which psychology informs legal practice and legal outcomes. This volume provides “state-of-the-art” chapters on a number of topics at the forefront of psycholegal research. The contributors’ expertise covers the vast majority of topics that now define the field of psychology and the law: eyewitness identification, interrogations and confessions, expert testimony, jury and judicial decision making, discrimination, and forensic assessment and treatment. The book provides an overview of the various approaches to, methodologies used, and findings of psychology and how that discipline informs our understanding of the legal system. Fittingly, many of the contributors were students or close professional associates of Lawrence S. Wrightsman. The chapters thus honor Wrightsman’s past contributions to the field, but they are also significant indicators of what current knowledge is and where the field is headed for the future.