{"id":{"repo_id":"carleton","oai_identifier":"oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/43370"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/carleton/oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/43370","repository":{"repo_id":"carleton","name":"Carleton University","base_url":"https://carleton.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Examining the Link Between Moral Minimization and False Confessions","abstract":"Police interviews are crucial for criminal investigations but sometimes involve the use of coercive tactics. One such tactic is moral minimization, where investigators provide face-saving excuses or rationalizations to justify a suspect's actions. The current study hypothesized that moral minimization increases the risk of false confessions due to pragmatically implying that a lenient sentence is forthcoming. Using a sample of 88 university students accused of cheating on an anagram task, my study examined if moral minimization led to false confessions, determined by participants signing a written confession. The results found that moral minimization was a significant predictor of false confessions (χ² = 4.47, df = 1, p = 0.03, BF10 = 4.12). This finding suggests that moral minimization may cause innocent individuals to falsely confess, urging police to discontinue its use until further research is conducted.","abstract_html":"Police interviews are crucial for criminal investigations but sometimes involve the use of coercive tactics. One such tactic is moral minimization, where investigators provide face-saving excuses or rationalizations to justify a suspect's actions. The current study hypothesized that moral minimization increases the risk of false confessions due to pragmatically implying that a lenient sentence is forthcoming. Using a sample of 88 university students accused of cheating on an anagram task, my study examined if moral minimization led to false confessions, determined by participants signing a written confession. The results found that moral minimization was a significant predictor of false confessions (χ² = 4.47, df = 1, p = 0.03, BF10 = 4.12). This finding suggests that moral minimization may cause innocent individuals to falsely confess, urging police to discontinue its use until further research is conducted.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hachey, Joshua Richard Gregory"],"institution":"Carleton University","degree_name":"Master of Arts (M.A.)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024","date_published":"2024","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:34:20Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright © 2024 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.22215/etd/2024-16317"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.22215/etd/2024-16317","href":"https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2024-16317","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/43370","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hachey, Joshua Richard Gregory"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-04-08T20:55:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-04-08T20:55:40Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2024"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Carleton University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright © 2024 the author(s). 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The current study hypothesized that moral minimization increases the risk of false confessions due to pragmatically implying that a lenient sentence is forthcoming. Using a sample of 88 university students accused of cheating on an anagram task, my study examined if moral minimization led to false confessions, determined by participants signing a written confession. The results found that moral minimization was a significant predictor of false confessions (χ² = 4.47, df = 1, p = 0.03, BF10 = 4.12). This finding suggests that moral minimization may cause innocent individuals to falsely confess, urging police to discontinue its use until further research is conducted."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Examining the Link Between Moral Minimization and False Confessions"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Hachey, Joshua Richard Gregory"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-04-08T20:55:40Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-04-08T20:55:40Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2024"],"dc:description.abstract":["Police interviews are crucial for criminal investigations but sometimes involve the use of coercive tactics. One such tactic is moral minimization, where investigators provide face-saving excuses or rationalizations to justify a suspect's actions. The current study hypothesized that moral minimization increases the risk of false confessions due to pragmatically implying that a lenient sentence is forthcoming. Using a sample of 88 university students accused of cheating on an anagram task, my study examined if moral minimization led to false confessions, determined by participants signing a written confession. The results found that moral minimization was a significant predictor of false confessions (χ² = 4.47, df = 1, p = 0.03, BF10 = 4.12). This finding suggests that moral minimization may cause innocent individuals to falsely confess, urging police to discontinue its use until further research is conducted."],"dc:identifier.doi":["10.22215/etd/2024-16317"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/43370"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Carleton University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright © 2024 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. 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