The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-05

Washington, D. c., Sept tine
psychologist. With Ms uncanny
knowledge Of human compiexes'
may soon be expected to play an I'M
portant part In our courts Of JUS
tice.
In almost every trial there are
battling points In the testimony
Was the witness telling the truth
when he said that he saw the prfs-
oner at Z O'Clock on the evening q
OF the crime, wearing > brown sun
and a green necktie. Could another
witness be believed when he In
sisted that the shot was nred Dy
the man directly in front OF him
and not by any person back OF him!
Some problems like these are
left for almost every jury TO face
after the possibilities OF legal
strategy have been exhausted. Vel
the Jury is expected to weigh al
this evidence and arrive ut con-
clusion.
With a legal psychologist IN
court. Justice can be melted out with
more .exactness, SO the psycholog'
lists themselves tell US. The wit
ness who was so emphatic about the
clothes worn by the man he met
might have his story shot to atoms
by a psychological explanation thai
colors cannot be distinguished al
twilight. 1t is a fact that the brair
has no mechanism for distinguish
ing colors at dusk. One and all
they are seen as shades Of gray
As for the shot fired in front o.
the witness, psychologists have
proved that a shot fired directly
behind a person cannot be dis
tinguished. from one fired directly
in front. In such circumstances ar
individual is not capable Of saying
from which direction the SOUND
came.
These examples indicate the sor'
of assistance that the psychologist
who specializes in legal and crimi
nal branches of his subject might
be called upon to give to the courts
At present such experts are aware
of the service they can render, bu1
the legal profession is wary o.
what might be regarded as new
tangled theories.
Bench and Bar Skepdcal
Bench and bar are inclined tt
look upon psychology as . science
still in the experimental stage. Al
though a psychologist may have
doctors degree from first class
university and a string of discover
les to his credit, he is likely to be
told that his methods and tests are
not yet 100 per cent reliable, and
that therefore his evidence cannot
be accepted as expert testimony.
Psychologists J are naturally
somewhat sad over this sign of re.
dictionary tendencies on the par
of the legal profession, but the,
are not discouraged. History i!
merely repeating itself. They re
call that Identification by fngel
prints was once regarded as bunl
by fool proof detectives. 1t tool
time to convince the world that ar
exact science could be based or
the formation of skin at the finger
tips.
1t will take time to prove to the
layman that each human mind is
not a law unto itself, but is con-
structed and can be ana}yzed like
amy other well ordered apparatus
Completes there are, innumerablt
and difficult to account for, but the
psychologist now has back of his
carefully tested principles that en-
able him to analyze his subjects
with reasonable exactness.
One hundred per cent accurac,
is hardly to be expected. Medicine
has been practiced thousands o.
years, the psychologist points out
but it is not an absolutely accurate
science. Doctors today fatty con
tradict accepted theories of 10 year.
ago. What is more, they disagree
with one another. Yet the testi
mony of a physician or an alienis,
is given careful consideration byl
the courts.
The use of expert advice of var,
ious sorts In legal cases has beer
growing steadily, When civiliza
ton moved at a slower pace anC