Psychology Applied to Law - Softcover

Mark Costanzo is Professor of Psychology and co-director of the Center for Applied Psychological Research at Claremont McKenna College. He has published research on a variety of law-related topics including jury decision-making, sexual harassment, attorney argumentation, alternative dispute resolution, and the death penalty. He is author of JUST REVENGE: COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE DEATH PENALTY (St. Martin's Press,1997) and co-editor (with Stuart Oskamp) of VIOLENCE AND THE LAW (Sage Publications, 1994). Professor Costanzo has served as an expert witness and has appeared on national radio and television programs to discuss the applications of psychological science to the legal system. He serves on the editorial board of Law and Human Behavior and is co-organizer of the annual Claremont Symposium on Applied Psychology.

"I like the author’s approach to cover the key issues and research, but also leave time for instructors to assign supplementary readings.... The book is very readable. I think students taking a psychology and law course for the first time will come away with a good sense of the field. The material is clearly presented, and the case studies should engage the students in a way that may other psychology and law textbooks do not. . . . a lucid overview of a vast and complex field."

"The key strength of the chapters is that they are easy and enjoyable to read and will most likely draw students into the subject matter . . . engaging and written in a manner that should be accessible to most every student taking a Psychology and Law class."

"...an excellent job of covering a wide breadth of material within the various domains of psychology and law in a cohesive manner that wasn’t too overwhelming . . . Several times I found myself asking the question, ’But what about...?’ only to read on to discover that the author raised the exact point or answered the very question I was thinking of in the next paragraph. . . readable without compromising the complexity or integrity of the issues discussed."

"I found this text to be very well-written overall. It’s easy to understand and interesting. I think students will enjoy reading it."

"I especially appreciate the legal background that most textbooks on ’psychology and law’ lack."