NCJ Number
1911
Date Published
1971
Length
40 pages
Annotation
USE OF POLICE INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES FOR PEACE AND POLITICAL CANDIDATE COMMITMENT IN THE SAME MANNER IN WHICH POLICE INTERROGATORS SOLICIT CONFESSIONS.
Abstract
THIS PAPER WAS DEVELOPED AS A PART OF A NAVAL RESEARCH SPONSORED SYMPOSIUM ON ATTITUDE CHANGE AND SOCIAL CHANGE (ORGANIZED BY BERT KING AND ELLIOTT MCGINNIES) AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN AN EDITED VOLUME OF THE PAPERS PRESENTED AT THAT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SYMPOSIUM. THE MAJOR POSITION REPRESENTED IN THIS PAPER IS THAT UNDERLYING EVERY ATTEMPT BY ONE PERSON TO CHANGE ANOTHER PERSON'S ATTITUDES, AFFECTS, BEHAVIOR OR EVEN HEALTH IS A COMPLEX SET OF ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THEIR RELATIVE POWER POSITIONS, THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE DESIRABLE, THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE TARGET PERSON MUST CONFORM TO SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STANDARDS OF APPROPRIATENESS, THE ETHICS OF PERSUASION, AND THE SOCIAL SANCTIONS GIVEN TO THE CHANGE AGENT. AN ANALYSIS OF THE TECHNIQUES USED BY SALESMEN, POLICE INTERROGATORS, AND VOLUNTEERS CANVASSING FOR POLITICAL CANDIDATES HELPS MAKE EXPLICIT SOME OF THESE FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS. IN THE PROCESS OF PRESENTING THESE GENERAL ANALYSES, EXTRACTIONS FROM POLICE TRAINING MANUALS AND IMPROVISED TACTICS USED TO INFLUENCE VOTING BEHAVIOR, THE ISSUE OF MACHIAVELLIAN STRATEGIES IS EXAMINED IN DETAIL AND QUESTIONS ARE RAISED AS TO THE FAR-RANGING CONSEQUENCES OF USING THESE AND OTHER FORMS OF SOCIAL INFLUENCE. AUTHOR ABSTRACT