Cleary and Vidal (2016) examined how Miranda warnings are presented in interrogations of juvenile suspects. The researchers’ innovative spin on this topic was that they looked at recordings of actual police interrogations from a variety of jurisdictions. Among other things, when they reviewed the recordings, the researchers noted the manner in which the Miranda warnings were delivered and how the police assessed the juveniles’ comprehension of the warnings.… Read More

You’re running late. As you approach the railroad tracks, you hear the warning bells and notice the gates starting to drop. Do you stop and wait or dart across? According to recent research by Shulman and Cauffman (2013), how you assess the potential risks and benefits of these options could be influenced by your age.

As demonstrated by over a decade of research, the adolescent and adult brains operate in fundamentally different ways.… Read More

In Graham v. Florida, Roper v. Simmons, and J.D.B v. North Carolina, the US Supreme Court recognized differences between adolescents and adults. For example, in J.D.B v. North Carolina, the Court wrote that “officers and judges need no imaginative powers, knowledge of developmental psychology, training in cognitive science, or expertise in social and cultural anthropology to account for a child’s age.… Read More