Often, when there occur events having a strong emotional and media impact (such as murders and televised court hearings), one wonders what role witnesses play and how reliable they are. Testimony psychology attempts to answer such questions through a careful analysis of psychological dimensions tied to testimony itself: question content, interrogation methods, response modes, and so on. This volume addresses the topic of testimony from various standpoints and describes its psychological features (memory, recall, influence, falsehood), investigation techniques based on talks, interviews, interrogations, and tools for the scientific assessment of statements made by children and adults called to give testimony. The volume also contains a number of useful examples of analysis of witness depositions. The text is intended for legal psychologists and anybody else - including investigators, experts, lawyers, judges, prosecutors - having to do with witnesses in criminal trial proceedings.

Gaetano De Leo teaches Social and Legal Psychology at the University of Bergamo.

Melania Scali has earned a Ph.D. in Social and Legal Psychology and teaches Criminology at the Second University of Naples.

Letizia Caso has earned a Ph.D. in Social and Legal Psychology and is a researcher in the same field at the University of Bergamo.