As the findings of this study show, whether the police believe somebody involved in a crime during an interrogation depends not just on the content of their account but also on their linguistic competence. The use of the high-prestige characteristics of educated language thus tends to increase the credibility ascribed to that person by the police.

Autorentext

Joy Steigler-Herms, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany.