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Use of Psychologists and Psychological Research in Legislative Decision Making on Public Interest Matters

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Handbook of Psychology and Law

Abstract

Psychologists have traditionally remained un-involved in the legislative system (DeLeon, 1988). They perform research as though they believe it has an impact on public policy (Ruback & Innes, 1988) but may not participate in the legislative process for a number of reasons. These include an overidealistic trust that legislative success can occur without active participation (Dorken, 1977), insufficient knowledge of the political process (Deleon, 1983, 1988) and of how it impacts on psychology (Kempler & Norman, 1981), differing problem-solving approaches between policy analysts and politicians (DeLeon & VandenBos, 1980; Ruback & Innes, 1988), and inadequate liaison mechanisms to facilitate communication flow between psychologists and policymakers (Melton, 1987).

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Authors
  1. April Wursten
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  2. Bruce Sales
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. 19130, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dorothy K. Kagehiro

  2. Department of Legal Studies, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 19104-6369, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    William S. Laufer

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© 1992 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Wursten, A., Sales, B. (1992). Use of Psychologists and Psychological Research in Legislative Decision Making on Public Interest Matters. In: Kagehiro, D.K., Laufer, W.S. (eds) Handbook of Psychology and Law. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4038-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4038-7_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-4040-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-4038-7

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