Research reveals that comprehension of the caution is limited in several populations. Comprehension of the police caution in individuals with autism has not been examined, yet this population may be further challenged due to differences in information processing, metacognition, working memory, episodic future thinking and compliance. Given the prevalence of police interactions for autistic individuals is estimated at elevated rates of 7.9-32.5% (Cooper at al., 2022), if understanding of the police caution differs in this population it could be putting them at significant risk of self-incrimination and unfavourable outcomes. We are recruiting individuals who have not had previous contact with the caution, are 18+, are native English speakers and have an autism diagnosis.
To participate in this research there will be a pre-screening assessment of eligibility followed by 40 minutes of simple, structured word tasks on Zoom. If you would like to take part, please contact our researchers at policecautionstudy@sussex.ac.uk.
Published on: June 28, 2022 at 09:47