HISTORY OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

The first seeds of forensic psychology were planted in 1879, when Wilhelm Wundt, often called
the father of psychology, founded his first lab in Germany. Since Wundt, the field of forensic
psychology has blossomed, with contributions by lots of other experts.

James McKeen Cattell

Pioneered the research of the psychology of testimony in the late 1800s. His work laid the
foundation for forensic psychology.

Albert Von Schrenck-Notzing

In 1896, was the first example of quote/unquote forensic psychology being in court at this time
albert testified a murder in Munich. He used research on errors in recall and suggestibility to
argue that pretrial publicity resulted in witnesses not being able to distinguish between what they
actually saw and what they had read in the press. H terms this retroactive memory falsification

Hugo Munsterberg

Hugo Munsterberg is often called the first forensic psychologist. In 1908, Hugo published “On
the Witness Stand”. Hugo was an experimental psychologist and his book described the
psychological factors that can affect a person’s trial outcome. In chapter in of his book describes
a number experiments that he conducted on his student while he was a professor at Harvard
university. Today we would refer as demonstrations ways they were not true experiments.
Regardless he used these demonstrations as evidence for the points he made in his boo. The book
was actually met with a lot of criticism. He was put on trial for libel and actually found guilty.

William Stern

In collaboration with a contemporary criminologist, studied the level of inaccuracy in eyewitness

testimony and expert testimony.

Lewis Terman

In 1916, Lewis Terman, a Stanford psychologist, began to apply psychology to law enforcement.
He revised Alfred Binet's intelligence tests and formed the Stanford-Binet intelligence test.
These tests were used to assess the intelligence of thirty applicants for the police and firefighting
jobs in San Jose, CA. A few years later, L. L. Thurstone used the same type of test in Detroit.
Now, this type of testing is used in most police departments in the country.

William Marston

In 1917 William developed the first modern poly graph. William was actually one of Hugo’s
students and what he did was create the first systolic blood pressure test which he uses to detect
deception by measuring somebody’s blood pressure. Later in 1922, he become the faculty
member in legal psychology at American University.

Brown vs. Board of Education

In 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education was a major landmark case in the United Sates Supreme
Court and it continues to serve as one of the most salient examples of the power of psychological
testimony in court. This was for two reasons the first time that psychological research was cited
in Supreme court decision. Second it was the first time social science data was paramount in the
courts decision to end school segregation.

Little bit about the case: in 1951, a class action suit was filed against the board of e

Margaret Hagen

In 1997, psychologist Margaret Hagen wrote ‘Horrors of the court the fraud of psychiatric
testimony and the rape of American justice. In her very controversy book she discussed the
wasted resources the of expert testimony and the verdicts that results from experts testifying
beyond business the scope of confidence. She refereed to modern psychiatry as Junk Science
altogether advocated for reform

APA

Most recently in 2001 the APA finally recognized forensic psychology as a specialty
Forensic Psychology Gains Traction

Significant growth in American forensic psychology did not happen until after World War II.
Psychologists served as expert witnesses, but only in trials that weren’t perceived as infringing
on medical specialists, who were seen as more credible witnesses. In the 1940 case of People v.
Hawthorne, the courts ruled that the standard for expert witnesses depended on how much the
witness knew about a subject, not whether the person had a medical degree.

In the landmark 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education, several psychologists testified for
the plaintiffs and the defendants. Later, the courts gave support to psychologists serving as
mental illness experts in the case of Jenkins v. the United States.

Forensic psychology was officially recognized as a specialization within psychology by the

American Psychological Association in 2001.

Forensic psychology has continued to grow and evolve during the past three decades. Increasing
numbers of graduate programs offer dual degrees in psychology and law, while others offer
specialized degrees emphasizing forensic psychology.