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document
Temporal discounting : the differential effect of proximal and distal consequences on confession decisions . Drawing on the psychological principle that proximal consequences influence behavior more strongly than distal consequences , the authors tested the hypothesis that criminal suspects exhibit a short-sightedness during police interrogation that increases their risk for confession . Consistent with this hypothesis , Experiment 1 showed that participants ( N = 81 ) altered how frequently they admitted to criminal and unethical behaviors during an interview to avoid a proximal consequence even though doing so increased their risk of incurring a distal consequence . Experiment 2 ( N = 143 ) yielded the same pattern , but with a procedure that reversed the order of the proximal and distal consequences , thereby ruling out the possibility that it was the unique characteristics of the consequences rather than their proximity that influenced the admission rate . The authors discuss the supported psychological process as a potential explanation for several well-established findings reported in the literature on confessions .
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Intervention_Educational
confession decisions .
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Outcome_Mental
risk for confession .
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Outcome_Mental
admitted to criminal and unethical behaviors
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Outcome_Mental
distal consequence .
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Outcome_Mental
proximal and distal consequences
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Outcome_Physical
admission rate
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Participant_Condition
criminal suspects
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Participant_Condition
short-sightedness during police interrogation